LIBEL. 


BY  PARKER  FILLMORE 
CZECHOSLOVAK  FAIRY  TALES 
THE  SHOEMAKER'S  APRON 

Illustrated  by  Jan  Matulka 


THE 
LAUGHING   PRINCE 

A  Book  of  Jugoslav  Fairy  Tales  and  Folk  Tales 

BY 
PARKER  FILLMORE 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  DECORATIONS 

BY 
JAY  VAN  EVEREN 


EDUfe 

«YCIt 

"" 


NEW  YORK 
HARCOURT,  BRACE  AND  COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,    1921,   BY 
PARKER  FILLMORE 


EDUCATION  IIBR. 


PRINTED    IN    THE    UNITED    STATES    OF    AMERICA 


TO 
BUTTON 


M775576 


NOTE 

In  calling  this  A  Book  of  Jugoslav  Fairy  Tales  and 
Folk  Tales  I  have  used  the  word  Jugoslav  in  its  literal 
sense  of  Southern  Slav.  The  Bulgars  are  just  as  truly 
Southern  Slavs  as  the  Serbs  or  Croats  or  any  other  of 
the  Slav  peoples  now  included  within  the  state  of  Jugo- 
slavia. Moreover  in  this  case  it  would  be  particularly 
difficult  to  make  the  literary  boundaries  conform  strictly 
to  the  political  boundaries  since  much  the  same  stories 
and  folk  tales  are  current  among  all  these  Slav  peoples 
of  the  Balkan  Peninsula.  The  special  student  taking 
the  variants  of  the  same  story  might  discover  special 
differences  that  would  mark  each  variant  as  the  product 
of  some  one  locality.  The  work  of  such  a  student  would 
have  philological  and  ethnological  value  but  not  a  very 


vi  NOTE 

strong  appeal  to  the  general  reader.  My  appeal  is  first 
of  all  to  the  general  reader — to  the  child  who  loves  fairy 
tales  and  to  the  adult  who  loves  them.  I  hope  they  will 
both  find  these  stories  entertaining  and  amusing  quite 
aside  from  any  interest  in  their  source. 

Yet  these  tales  as  presented  do  give  the  reader  a  true 
idea  of  the  amazing  vigor  and  the  artistic  inventiveness 
of  the  Jugoslav  imagination,  and  also  of  the  various  in- 
fluences, Oriental  and  Northern  as  well  as  Slavic,  which 
have  made  that  imagination  what  it  is  to-day.  Here  are 
gay  picaresque  tales  of  adventure — how  they  go  on  and 
on  and  on! — charming  little  stories  of  sentiment,  a  few 
folk  tales  of  stark  simplicity  and  grim  humor,  one  story 
showing  a  superficial  Turkish  influence,  and  one  spir- 
itual allegory  as  deep  and  moving  as  anything  in  the 
Russian. 

The  renderings  in  every  case  are  my  own  and  are  not 
in  any  sense  translations.  I  have  taken  the  old  stories 
and  retold  them  in  a  new  language.  To  do  them  justice 
in  this  new  language  I  have  found  it  necessary  to  pre- 
sent them  with  a  new  selection  of  detail  and  with  an  occa- 
sional shifting  of  emphasis.  I  do  not  mean  by  this  that 
I  have  invented  detail  in  any  unwarranted  fashion.  I 
haven't  had  to  for  any  folk  tale,  however  bald,  contains 
all  sorts  of  things  by  implication.  The  true  story  teller, 


NOTE  vii 

it  seems  to  me,  is  he  who  is  able  to  grasp  these  implica- 
tions and  turn  them  to  his  own  use. 

I  must  confess  that  the  setting  in  which  I  have  placed 
the  famous  old  Serbian  nonsense  story,  In  my  young 
days  when  I  was  an  old,  old  man,  is  my  own  invention. 
The  nonsense  story  needs  a  setting  and  as  it  chanced  I 
had  one  ready  as  I  have  long  wanted  to  tell  the  world 
what  was  back  of  the  determination  of  that  princess  who 
refused  to  eat  until  some  one  had  made  her  laugh. 

So  far  as  I  know  most  of  these  stories  are  not  familiar 
to  English  readers — certainly  not  in  this  form.  Ma- 
dame Mijatovich  uses  one  of  them  in  her  Serbian  Fairy 
Tales,  but  I  make  no  apology  for  offering  a  sprightlier 
version.  Nor  do  I  apologize  for  presenting  any  stories 
that  may  have  been  included  somewhere  among  the  in- 
different translations  to  which  Andrew  Lang  lent  his 
name. 

I  am  of  course  deeply  indebted  to  the  various  people 
who  told  me  these  stories  in  the  first  place  and  to  many 
scholarly  folklorists,  Jugoslav,  Czechoslovak,  Bulgarian, 
German,  and  English  whose  books  and  reports  I  have 
studied. 
Decoration  Day,  1921.  P.  F. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE:    The  Story  of  the  Boy  Who 

Could  Talk  Nonsense   .        .        .        .        ..       .        .        .          1 

BEAUTY  AND  THE  HORNS:  The  Story  of  an  Enchanted 

Maiden    .        .        .       . .        .        .....        .        .       27 

THE  PIGEON'S  BRIDE:    The  Story  of  a  Princess  Who 

Kissed  and  Told   .        ,        .        .    '    .        .        .        ,        .       51 

THE  LITTLE  LAME  FOX:  The  Story  of  the  Youngest 
Brother  Who  Found  the  Magic  Grape- Vine  and  Married 
the  Golden  Maiden  .  .  •  .  .  .....  73 

THE  ENCHANTED  PEAFOWL:  The  Story  of  the  Golden 

Apples,  the  Wicked  Dragon,  and  the  Magic  Horse  .        .107 

THE  DRAGON'S  STRENGTH:  The  Story  of  the  Youngest 

Prince  Who  Killed  the  Sparrow  .        .   "    .        .        .        .139 

THE   LITTLE   SINGING  FROG:    The   Story  of  a   Girl 

Whose  Parents  were  Ashamed  of  Her       .        ...      161 

THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  THE  MOSQUE:  The  Story  of 
the  Sultan's  Youngest  Son  and  the  Princess  Flower  o'  the 

World 171 

ix 


x  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

THE  GIRL  IN  THE   CHEST:    The  Story  of  the  Third 

Sister  Who  was  Brave  and  Good       ....        .     201 

THE  WONDERFUL  HAIR:    The  Story  of  a  Poor   Man 

Who  Dreamed  of  an  Angel ^  .        .     219 

THE  BEST  WISH:    The  Story  of  Three  Brothers  and  an 

Angel       ....  .229 

THE   VILAS'   SPRING:    The   Story  of  the   Brother  Who 

Knew  that  Good  was  Stronger  than  Evil  .        .        .        .     241 

LORD  AND  MASTER:   The  Story  of  the  Man  Who  Under- 
stood the  Language  of  the  Animals 253 

THE  SILVER  TRACKS:   The  Story  of  the  Poor  Man  Who 

Befriended  a  Beggar    .        .        .        .   "     .  •      •        .        .     267 


THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 


The  Story  of  the  Boy  Who  Could  Talk  Nonsense 


THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 


was  once  a  farmer  who  had  three  sons  and 
one  little  daughter.  The  eldest  son  was  a  studious 
boy  who  learned  so  much  out  of  books  that  the  farmer 
said: 

"  We  must  send  Mihailo  to  school  and  make  a  priest 
of  him." 

The  second  boy  was  a  trader.  Whatever  you  had  he 
would  get  it  from  you  by  offering  you  something  else 
for  it.  And  always  what  he  gave  you  was  worth  less 
than  what  you  gave  him. 

"  Jakov  will  make  a  fine  peddler,"  the  farmer  said. 
"  He's  industrious  and  sharp  and  some  day  he  will  prob- 
ably be  a  rich  man." 

But  Stefan,  the  farmer's  youngest  son,  had  no  special 
talent  and  because  he  didn't  spend  all  his  time  with  his 
nose  in  a  book  and  because  he  never  made  the  best  of 
a  bargain  his  brothers  scorned  him.  Militza,  his  little 
sister,  loved  him  dearly  for  he  was  kind  and  jolly  and 
in  the  evening  he  was  always  ready  to  tell  her  stories 
and  play  with  her.  But  the  farmer,  of  course,  listened 
to  the  older  brothers. 

3 


4  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

"  I  don't  know  about  poor  Stefan,"  he  used  to  say. 
"  He's  a  good  boy  but  he  talks  nonsense.  I  suppose 
he'll  have  to  stay  on  the  farm  and  work." 

Now  the  truth  is  the  farm  was  a  fine  place  for  Stefan 
for  he  was  strong  and  lusty  and  he  liked  to  plow  and 
harvest  and  he  had  a  wonderful  way  with  the  animals. 
He  talked  to  them  as  if  they  were  human  beings  and 
the  horses  all  whinnied  when  he  came  near,  and  the 
cows  rubbed  their  soft  noses  against  his  shoulder,  and 
as  for  the  pigs — they  loved  him  so  much  that  when- 
ever they  saw  him  they  used  to  run  squealing  between 
his  legs. 

"  Stefan  is  nothing  but  a  farmer!  "  Mihailo  used  to 
say  as  though  being  a  farmer  was  something  to  be 
ashamed  of. 

And  Jakov  said : 

"  If  the  village  people  could  see  the  pigs  following 
him  about,  how  they'd  laugh  at  him!  I  hope  when  I 
go  to  the  village  to  live  he  won't  be  visiting  me  all  the 
time!" 

Another  thing  the  older  brothers  couldn't  understand 
about  Stefan  was  why  he  was  always  laughing  and  jok- 
ing. He  did  the  work  of  two  men  but  whether  he  was 
working  or  resting  you  could  always  hear  him  crack- 
ing his  merry  jokes  and  laughing  his  jolly  laugh. 


THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE  5 

"  I  think  he's  foolish! "  Mihailo  said. 

Jakov  hoped  that  the  village  people  wouldn't  hear 
about  his  carryings  on. 

"  They'd  laugh  at  him,"  he  said,  "  and  they'd  laugh 
at  us,  too,  because  we're  his  brothers." 

But  Stefan  didn't  care.  The  more  they  frowned  at 
him,  the  louder  he  laughed,  and  in  spite  of  their  dark 
looks  he  kept  on  cracking  his  merry  jokes  and  talking 
nonsense.  And  every  evening  after  supper  his  little 
sister,  Militza,  clapped  her  hands  and  cried : 

"  Now,  Stefan,  tell  me  a  story!    Tell  me  a  story!  " 

"  Father,"  Mihailo  would  say,  "  you  ought  to  make 
him  keep  quiet!  He's  foolish  and  all  he  does  is  fill 
Militza's  head  with  nonsense!  " 

This  always  made  Militza  very  indignant  and  she 
would  stamp  her  little  foot  and  say: 

"He  isn't  foolish!  He  knows  more  than  any  one! 
And  he  can  do  more  things  than  any  one  else  and  he's 
the  handsomest  brother  in  the  world! " 

You  see  Militza  loved  Stefan  dearly  and  when  you 
love  a  person  of  course  you  think  that  person  is  won- 
derful. But  the  father  supposed  that  Mihailo  must  be 
right  for  Mihailo  studied  in  books.  So  he  shook  his 
head  and  sighed  every  time  he  thought  of  Stefan. 

Now  the  kingdom  in  which  the  three  brothers  lived 


6  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

was  ruled  over  by  a  great  Tsar  who  had  an  only 
daughter.  In  disappointment  that  he  had  no  son,  the 
Tsar  was  having  his  daughter  brought  up  as  though  she 
were  a  boy.  He  sent  all  over  the  world  for  tutors  and 
teachers  and  had  the  poor  girl  taught  statecraft  and 
law  and  philosophy  and  all  the  other  things  that  the 
heir  to  the  throne  ought  to  know. 

The  Princess  because  she  was  an  obedient  girl  and 
because  she  loved  her  father  tried  to  spend  all  her  time 
in  study.  But  the  dry  old  scholars  whom  the  Tsar  em- 
ployed as  teachers  were  not  amusing  companions  for  a 
young  girl  and  the  first  lady-in-waiting  who  was  in  con- 
stant attendance  was  scarcely  any  better  for  she,  too, 
was  old  and  thin  and  very  prim. 

If  the  poor  little  Princess  between  her  geography 
lesson  and  her  arithmetic  lesson  would  peep  for  a  mo- 
ment into  a  mirror,  the  first  lady-in-waiting  would  tap 
her  arm  reprovingly  and  say: 

"  My  dear,  vanity  is  not  becoming  in  a  princess!  " 

One  day  the  little  Princess  lost  her  temper  and  an- 
swered sharply: 

"  But  I'm  a  girl  even  if  I  am  a  princess  and  I  love 
to  look  in  mirrors  and  I  love  to  make  myself  pretty 
and  I'd  love  to  go  to  a  ball  every  night  of  my  life  and 
dance  with  handsome  young  men! " 


THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE  7 

"  You  talk  like  the  daughter  of  a  farmer! "  the  first 
lady-in-waiting  said. 

Then  the  Princess,  because  she  lost  her  temper  still 
further,  said  something  she  should  not  have  said. 

"  I  wish  I  were  the  daughter  of  a  farmer! "  she  de- 
clared. "  Then  I  could  wear  pretty  ribbons  and  go 
dancing  and  the  boys  would  come  courting  me!  As  it 
is  I  have  to  spend  all  my  time  with  funny  old  men  and 
silly  old  women! " 

Now  even  if  her  tutors  and  teachers  were  funny 
looking  old  men,  even  if  the  first  lady-in-waiting  was  a 
silly  old  woman,  the  Princess  should  not  have  said  so. 
It  hurt  the  feelings  of  the  first  lady-in-waiting  and  made 
her  angry  and  she  ran  off  to  the  Tsar  at  once  and  com- 
plained most  bitterly. 

"Is  this  my  reward  after  all  my  years  of  loving  serv- 
ice to  your  daughter?  "  she  asked.  "  It  is  true  that  I've 
grown  old  and  thin  looking  after  her  manners  and  now 
she  calls  me  a  silly  old  woman!  And  all  the  learned 
wise  men  and  scholars  that  you  have  gathered  from 
the  far  corners  of  the  earth — she  points  her  finger  at 
them  and  calls  them  funny  old  men!  " 

The  fact  is  they  were  funny  looking,  most  of  them, 
but  yet  the  first  lady-in-waiting  was  right:  the  Princess 
should  not  have  said  so. 


8  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

"  And  think  of  her  ingratitude  to  yourself,  O  Tsar!  " 
the  first  lady-in-waiting  continued.  "  You  plan  to  make 
her  the  heir  to  your  throne  and  yet  she  says  she  wishes 
she  were  a  farmer's  daughter  so  that  she  could  deck 
herself  out  in  ribbons  and  have  the  boys  come  courting 
her!  A  nice  thing  for  a  princess  to  say!  " 

The  Tsar  when  he  heard  this  fell  into  an  awful  rage. 
( The  truth  is  whatever  temper  the  Princess  had  she  in- 
herited direct  from  her  father.) 

"  Wow!  Wow!  "  he  roared,  just  that  way.  "  Send 
the  Princess  to  me  at  once.  I'll  soon  have  her  singing 
another  tune!  " 

So  the  first  lady-in-waiting  sent  the  Princess  to  her 
father  and  as  soon  as  he  saw  her  he  began  roaring  again 
and  saying: 

"  Wow !  Wow !  What  do  you  mean — funny  old  men 
and  silly  old  women?  " 

Now  whenever  the  Tsar  began  roaring  and  saying, 
"  Wow!  Wow!  "  the  Princess  always  stiffened,  and  in- 
stead of  being  the  sweet  and  obedient  daughter  she 
usually  was  she  became  obstinate.  Her  pretty  eyes 
would  flash  and  her  soft  pretty  face  would  harden  and 
people  would  whisper :  "  Mercy  on  us,  how  much  she 
looks  like  her  father !  " 

"That's   just  what   I   mean!'*   the   Princess   said. 


THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE  9 

"  They're  a  lot  of  funny  old  men  and  silly  old  women 
and  I'm  tired  of  them!  I  want  to  be  amused!  I  want 
to  laugh!" 

"  Wow!  Wow!  Wow!  "  roared  the  Tsar.  "  A  fine 
princess  you  are!  Go  straight  back  to  the  schoolroom 
and  behave  yourself!  " 

So  the  little  Princess  marched  out  of  the  throne  room 
holding  her  head  very  high  and  looking  so  much  like 
the  Tsar  that  the  first  lady-in-waiting  was  positively 
frightened. 

The  Princess  went  back  to  the  schoolroom  but  she 
did  not  behave  herself.  She  was  really  very  naughty. 
When  the  poor  man  who  knew  more  than  anybody  in 
the  world  about  the  influence  of  the  stars  upon  the 
destinies  of  nations  came  to  give  her  a  lesson,  she  threw 
his  book  out  the  window.  When  the  superannuated  old 
general  who  was  teaching  her  military  manoeuvers  of- 
fered her  a  diagram  on  which  the  enemy  was  repre- 
sented by  a  series  of  black  dots  and  our  soldiers  by  a 
series  of  red  dots,  she  took  the  paper  and  tore  it  in 
two.  And  worst  of  all  when  the  old  scholar  who  was 
teaching  her  Turkish — for  a  princess  must  be  able  to 
speak  all  languages — dropped  his  horn  spectacles  on 
the  floor,  she  deliberately  stepped  on  them  and  broke 
them. 


10  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

When  the  Tsar  heard  all  these  things  he  just  wow- 
wowed  something  terrible. 

"Lock  that  young  woman  in  her  chamber!"  he  or- 
dered. "  Feed  her  on  bread  and  water  until  she's  ready 
to  apologize! " 

But  the  Princess,  far  from  being  frightened  by  this 
treatment,  calmly  announced: 

"  I  won't  eat  even  your  old  bread  and  water  until  you 
send  me  some  one  who  will  make  me  laugh! " 

Now  this  frightened  the  Tsar  because  he  knew  how 
obstinate  the  Princess  could  be  on  occasions.  (He  ought 
to  know,  too,  for  the  Princess  had  that  streak  of  obstin- 
acy direct  from  himself.) 

'  This  will  never  do !  "  he  said. 

He  hurried  to  the  Princess's  chamber.  He  found 
her  in  bed  with  her  pretty  hair  spread  out  on  the  pillow 
like  a  golden  fan. 

"  My  dear,"  the  Tsar  said,  "  I  was  joking.  You 
don't  have  to  eat  only  bread  and  water.  You  may  have 
anything  you  want." 

"  Thank  you,"  the  Princess  said,  "  but  I'll  never  eat 
another  bite  of  anything  until  you  send  me  some  one 
who  will  make  me  laugh.  I'm  tired  of  living  in  this 
gloomy  old  castle  with  a  lot  of  old  men  and  old  women 
who  do  nothing  but  instruct  me  and  with  a  father 


THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE  11 

who  always  loses  his  temper  and  says,  '  Wow! 
Wow!'" 

"But  it's  a  beautiful  castle!"  the  poor  Tsar  said. 
"  And  I'm  sure  we're  all  doing  our  very  best  to  educate 
you!" 

"But  I  want  to  be  amused  as  well  as  educated!" 
the  little  Princess  said.  And  then,  because  she  felt  she 
was  going  to  cry,  she  turned  her  face  to  the  wall  and 
wouldn't  say  another  word. 

What  was  the  Tsar  to  do?  He  called  together  his 
councilors  and  asked  them  how  was  the  Princess  to 
be  made  to  laugh.  The  councilors  were  wise  about 
state  matters  but  not  one  of  them  could  suggest  a 
means  of  amusing  the  Princess.  The  Master  of  Cere- 
monies did  indeed  begin  to  say  something  about  a 
nice  young  man  but  instantly  the  Tsar  roared  out 
such  a  wrathful,  "Wow!  Wow!"  that  the  Master 
of  Ceremonies  coughed  and  pretended  he  hadn't 
spoken. 

Then  the  Tsar  called  together  the  scholars  and  the 
teachers  and  the  first  lady-in-waiting.  He  glared  at 
them  savagely  and  roared: 

"  Wow!  Wow!  A  nice  lot  you  are!  I  put  you  in 
charge  of  my  daughter  and  not  one  of  you  has  sense 
enough  to  know  that  the  poor  child  needs  a  little  amuse- 


12  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

ment!  I  have  a  good  mind  to  have  you  all  thrown 
into  the  dungeon!  " 

"  But,  Your  Majesty,"  quavered  one  poor  old 
scholar,  "  I  was  not  employed  as  a  buffoon  but  as  a 
teacher  of  astrology!" 

"  And  I,"  another  said,  "  as  a  teacher  of  languages!  " 

"And  I  as  a  teacher  of  philosophy!" 

"  Silence!  "  roared  the  Tsar.  "  Between  you  all  you 
have  about  killed  my  poor  child !  Now  I  ask  you :  With 
all  your  learning  doesn't  one  of  you  know  how  to  make 
a  young  girl  laugh? " 

Apparently  not  one  of  them  did,  for  no  one  an- 
swered. 

"  Not  even  you?  "  the  Tsar  said,  looking  at  the  first 
lady-in-waiting. 

'  When  you  called  me  to  Court,"  the  first  lady-in- 
waiting  answered,  drawing  herself  up  in  a  most  refined 
manner,  "  you  said  you  wished  me  to  teach  your  daugh- 
ter etiquette.  As  you  said  nothing  about  amusement, 
quite  naturally  I  confined  myself  to  the  subject  of  be- 
havior. If  I  do  say  it  myself,  no  one  has  ever  been 
more  devoted  to  duty  than  I.  I  am  constantly  saying 
to  her :  '  That  isn't  the  way  a  princess  should  act ! '  In 
fact  for  years  there  has  hardly  been  a  moment  in  the 
day  when  I  haven't  corrected  her  for  something!  " 


THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE  13 

"Poor  child!  "  groaned  the  Tsar.  "  No  wonder  she 
wants  a  change!  Oh,  what  fools  you  all  are  in  spite  of 
your  learning!  Don't  you  know  that  a  young  girl  is 
a  young  girl  even  if  she  is  a  Princess !  " 

Well,  the  scholars  weren't  any  more  help  to  the  Tsar 
than  the  councilors,  and  finally  in  desperation  he  sent 
heralds  through  the  land  to  announce  that  to  any  one 
who  could  make  the  Princess  laugh  he  would  give  three 
bags  of  gold. 

Three  bags  of  gold  don't  grow  on  the  bushes  every 
day  and  instantly  all  the  youths  and  men  and  old  men 
who  had  stories  that  their  sweethearts  and  their  wives 
and  their  daughters  laughed  at  hurried  to  the  castle. 

One  by  one  they  were  admitted  to  the  Princess's 
chamber.  They  entered  hopefully  but  when  they  saw 
the  Tsar  sitting  at  one  side  of  the  door  muttering, 
'  Wow!  Wow!  "  in  his  beard,  and  the  old  first  lady- 
in-waiting  at  the  other  side  of  the  door  watching  them 
scornfully,  and  the  Princess  herself  in  bed  with  her 
lovely  hair  spread  out  like  a  golden  fan  on  the  pillow, 
they  forgot  their  funny  stories  and  hemmed  and  hawed 
and  stammered  and  had  finally,  one  after  another,  to 
*be  turned  out  in  disgrace. 

One  day  went  by  and  two  and  three  and  still  the 
Princess  refused  to  eat.  In  despair  the  Tsar  sent  out 


14  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

his  heralds  again.  This  time  he  said  that  to  any  one 
who  would  make  the  Princess  laugh  he  would  give  the 
Princess's  hand  in  marriage  and  make  him  joint  heir 
to  the  kingdom. 

"  I  had  expected  to  wed  her  to  the  son  of  some  great 
Tsar,"  he  sighed,  "  but  I'd  rather  marry  her  to  a  farmer 
than  see  her  die  of  starvation!  " 

The  heralds  rode  far  and  wide  until  every  one,  even 
the  people  on  the  most  distant  farms,  had  heard  of  the 
Tsar's  offer. 

"  I  won't  try  again,"  said  Mihailo,  the  oldest  son  of 
the  farmer  I've  already  told  you  about.  "  When  I 
went  there  the  day  before  yesterday  I  began  telling 
her  a  funny  story  out  of  my  Latin  book  but  instead  of 
laughing  she  said:  '  Oh,  send  him  away! '  So  now  she'll 
have  to  starve  to  death  for  all  of  me !  " 

"  Me,  too! "  said  Jakov,  the  second  son.  "When  I 
tried  to  tell  her  that  funny  story  of  how  I  traded  the 
moldy  oats  for  the  old  widow's  fat  pig,  instead  of  laugh- 
ing she  looked  me  straight  in  the  face  and  said: 
'Cheat!'" 

"  Stefan  ought  to  go,"  Mihailo  suggested.  "  Maybe 
she'd  laugh  at  him !  Everybody  else  does !  " 

He  spoke  sneer ingly  but  Stefan  only  smiled. 

"Who  knows?    Perhaps  I  will  go.     If  I  do  make 


' 


THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE  15 

her  laugh  then,  O  my  brothers,  the  laugh  will  be  on  you 
for  I  shall  become  Tsar  and  you  two  will  be  known  as 
my  two  poor  brothers.  Ho!  Ho!  Ho!  What  a  joke 
that  would  be!" 

Stefan  laughed  loud  and  heartily  and  his  little  sister 
joined  him,  but  his  brothers  looked  at  him  sourly. 

"  He  grows  more  foolish  all  the  time!  "  they  told 
each  other. 

When  they  were  gone  to  bed,  Militza  slipped  over 
to  Stefan  and  whispered  in  his  ear: 

"  Brother,  you  must  go  to  the  Princess.    Tell  her  the 

story  that  begins :  In  my  young  days  when  I  was  an  old, 

• 

old  man.  ...  I  think  she'll  just  have  to  laugh,  and 
if  she  laughs  then  she  can  eat  and  she  must  be  very 
hungry  by  this  time." 

At  first  Stefan  said  no,  he  wouldn't  go,  but  Militza 
insisted  and  finally,  to  please  her,  he  said  he  would. 

So  early  the  next  morning  he  dressed  himself  in  his 
fine  Sunday  shirt  with  its  blue  and  red  embroidery.  He 
put  on  his  bright  red  Sunday  sash  and  his  long  shiny 
boots.  Then  he  mounted  his  horse  and  before  his  broth- 
ers were  awake  rode  off  to  the  Tsar's  castle. 

There  he  awaited  his  turn  to  be  admitted  to  the  Prin- 
cess's chamber.  When  he  came  in  he  was  so  young 
and  healthy  and  vigorous  that  he  seemed  to  bring  with 


16  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

him  a  little  of  the  freshness  of  outdoors.  The  first  lady-- 
in-waiting looked  at  him  askance  for  without  doubt  he 
was  a  farmer  lad  and  his  table  manners  probably  were 
not  good.  Well,  he  was  a  farmer  lad  and  for  that  rea- 
son he  didn't  know  that  she  was  first  lady-in-waiting. 
He  glanced  at  her  once  and  thought:  "What  an  ugly 
old  woman!  "  and  thereafter  he  didn't  think  of  her  at 
all.  He  glanced  likewise  at  the  Tsar  and  the  Tsar 
reminded  him  of  a  bull  of  his  own.  He  wasn't  afraid 
of  the  bull,  so  why  be  afraid  of  the  Tsar? 

Suddenly  he  saw  the  Princess  lying  in  bed  with  her 
lovely  hair  spread  out  on  the  pillow  like  a  golden  fan 
and  for  a  moment  he  couldn't  speak.  Then  he  knelt 
beside  the  bed  and  kissed  her  hand. 

"  Princess,"  he  said,  "  I'm  not  learned  and  I'm  not 
clever  and  I  don't  suppose  I  can  succeed  where  so  many 
wise  men  have  failed.  And  even  if  I  do  make  you 
laugh  you  won't  have  to  marry  me  unless  you  want  to 
because  the  reason  I  really  came  was  to  please  Militza." 

"Militza?" 

"  Yes,  Princess,  my  little  sister,  Militza.  She  loves 
me  very  much  and  so  she  thinks  the  stories  I  tell  are 
funny  and  she  laughs  at  them.  Last  night  she  said  to 
me:  *  Stefan,  you  must  go  to  the  Princess  and  tell  her 
the  story  that  begins :  In  my  young  days  when  I  was  an 


THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE  17 

old,  old  man.  ...  I  think  she'll  just  have  to  laugh  and 
if  she  laughs  then  she  can  eat  and  she  must  be  very 
hungry  by  this  time.' ' 

"  I  am,"  the  Princess  said,  with  a  catch  in  her  voice. 
Then  she  added:  "I  think  I  like  that  little  sister  of 
yours  and  I  think  I  like  you,  too.  I  wish  you  would 
tell  me  the  story  that  begins :  In  my  young  days  when 
I  was  an  old,  old  man.  .  .  !' 

"  But,  Princess,  it's  a  very  foolish  story." 

"  The  foolisher,  the  better!  " 

Just  here  the  first  lady-in-waiting  tried  to  correct  the 
Princess  for  of  course  she  should  have  said :  "  The  more 
foolish,  the  better !  "  but  the  Tsar  shut  her  up  with  a 
black  frown  and  one  fierce,  "  Wow!  " 

"Well,  then,"  Stefan  began: 

In  my  young  days  when  I  was  an  old,  old  man  I 
used  to  count  my  bees  every  morning.  It  was  easy 
enough  to  count  the  bees  but  not  the  beehives  because  I 
had  too  many  hives.  One  day  when  I  finished  counting 
I  found  that  my  best  bee  was  missing.  At  once  I  sad- 
dled a  rooster  and  set  out  to  find  him. 

"  Father!  "  cried  the  Princess.  "  Did  you  hear  what 
Stefan  said?  He  said  he  saddled  his  rooster!  " 


18  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

"  Umph !  "  muttered  the  Tsar,  and  the  first  lady-in- 
waiting  said  severely: 

"  Princess,  do  not  interrupt!    Young  man,  continue." 

His  track  led  to  the  sea  which  I  rode  across  on  a 
bridge.  The  first  thing  I  saw  on  the  other  side  of  the 
tea  was  my  bee.  There  he  was  in  a  field  of  millet 
harnessed  to  a  plow.  ff  That's  my  bee! "  I  shouted, 
to  the  man  who  was  driving  him.  (( Is  that  so?"  the 
man  said,  and  without  any  words  he  gave,  me  back  my 
bee  and  handed  me  a  bag  of  millet  to  pay  for  the  plow- 
ing. I  took  the  bag  and  tied  it  securely  on  the  bee. 
Then  I  unsaddled  the  rooster  and  mounted  the,  bee. 
The  rooster,  poor  thing,  was  so  tired  that  I  had  to  take 
him  by  the  hand  and  lead  him  along  beside  us. 

"Father!"  the  Princess  cried,  "did  you  hear  that? 
He  took  the  rooster  by  the  hand!  Isn't  that  funny!  " 

"Umph!"  grunted  the  Tsar,  and  the  first  lady-in- 
waiting  whispered: 

"  Hush!    Let  the  young  man  finish!  " 

Whilst  we  were  crossing  the  bridge,  the  string  of  the 
bag  broke  and  all  my  millet  spilled  out.  When  night 
came  I  tied  the  rooster  to  the  bee  and  lay  down  on  the 


THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE  19 

seashore  to  sleep.  During  the  night  some  wolves  came 
and  killed  my  bee  and  when  I  woke  up  I  found  that  all 
the  honey  had  run  out  of  his  body. '  There  was  so  much 
honey  that  it  rose  up  and  up  until  it  reached  the  ankles 
of  the  valleys  and  the  knees  of  the  mountains.  I  took  a 
hatchet  and  swam  down  to  a  forest  where  I  found  two 
deer  leaping  about  on  one  leg.  I  shot  at  the  deer  with 
my  hatchet,  killed  them,  and  skinned  them.  With  the 
skins  I  made  two  leather  bottles.  I  filled  these  with  the 
honey  and  strapped  them  over  the  rooster's  back.  Then 
I  rode  home.  I  no  sooner  arrived  home  than  my  father 
was  born.  "  We  must  have  holy  water  for  the  christen- 
ing" I  said.  ec  I  suppose  I  must  go  to  heaven  to  fetch 
some!9  But  how  was  I  to  get  there?  I  thought  of  my 
millet.  Sure  enough  the,  dampness  had  made  it  grow  so 
well  that  its  tops  now  reached  the  sky.  So  all  I  had  to  do 
was  to  climb  a  millet  stalk  and  there  I  was  in  heaven. 
Up  there  they  had  mown  down  some  of  my  millet  which 
they  baked  into  a  loaf  and  were  eating  with  boiled  milk. 
fe  That's  my  millet! "  I  said.  "  What  do  you  want  for 
it?  "  they  asked  me.  "  I  want  some  holy  water  to  chris- 
ten my  father  who  has  just  been  born."  So  they  gave 
me  some  holy  water  and  I  prepared  to  descend  again  to 
earth.  But  on  earth  there  was  a  violent  storm  going  on 
and  the  wind  carried  away  my  millet.  So  there  I  was 


20  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

with  no  way  of  getting  down.  I  thought  of  my  hair.  It 
was  so  long  that  when  I  stood  up  it  covered  my  ears 
and  when  I  lay  down  it  reached  all  the  way  to  earth. 
So  I  pulled  out  a  hair,,  tied  it  to  a  tree  of  heaven,  antt, 
began  descending  by  it.  When  it  grew  dark  I  made  a 
knot  in  the  hair  and  just  sat  where  I  was.  It  was  cold, 
so  I  took  a  needle  which  I  happened  to  have  in  my  coat, 
split  it  up,  and  lighted  a  fire  with  the  chips. 

"Oh,  father!"  the  Princess  cried,  "Stefan  says  he 
split  a  needle  into  kindling  wood!  Isn't  he  funny!  " 

"  If  you  ask  me — "  the  first  lady-in-waiting  began, 
but  before  she  could  say  more  the  Tsar  reached  over 
and  stepped  on  her  toe  so  hard  that  she  was  forced 
to  end  her  sentence  with  a  little  squeally,  "  Ouch !  " 
The  Princess,  you  see,  was  smiling  and  the  Tsar  was 
hoping  that  presently  she  would  burst  into  a  laugh. 
So  he  motioned  Stefan  to  continue. 

Then  I  lay  down  beside  the  fire  and  fell  asleep. 
While  I  slept  a  spark  from  the,  fire  fell  on  the  hair  and 
burned  it  through.  I  fell  to  earth  with  such  force  that 
I  sank  into  the  ground  up  to  my  chest.  I  couldn't 
budge,  so  I  was  forced  to  go  home  and  get  a  spade  and 
dig  myself  out.  On  the  way  home,  I  crossed  a  field 


Stefan  Tells  the  Princess  a  Story 


THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE  23 

where  the  reapers  were  cutting  corn.  The  heat  was  so 
great  that  they  had  to  stop  work.  " I'll  get  our  mare"  TL 
said,  ff  and  then  you  II  feel  cooler."  You  know  our 
mare  is  two  days  long  and  as  broad  as  midnight  and 
she  has  willow  trees  growing  on  her  back.  So  I  ran  and 
got  her  and  she  cast  such  a  cool  shadow  that  the  reapers 
were,  at  once  able  to  go  back  to  work.  Now  they  wanted 
some  fresh  drinking  water,  but  when  they  went  to  the 
river  they  found  it  had  frozen  over. .  They  came  back 
to  me  and  asked  me  would  I  get  them  some  water. 
f( Certainly''  I  said.  I  went  to  the  river  myself,  then 
I  took  off  my  head  and  with  it  I  broke  a  hole  in  the 
ice.  After  that  it  was  easy  enough  to  fetch  them  some 
water.  <f  But  where  is  your  head?  "  they  asked.  "  Oh! " 
I  said, ff  I  must  have  forgotten  it! " 

"  Oh,  father! "  the  Princess  cried  with  a  loud  laugh, 
"he  says  he  forgot  his  head!  Then,  Stefan,  what  did 
you  do?  What  did  you  do?  " 

I  ran  back  to  the  river  and  got  there  just  as  a  fox? 
was  sniffing  at  my  skull.  ff  Hi,  there! "  I  said,  pulling 
the  fox's  tail.  The  fox  turned  around  and  gave  me  a 
paper  on  which  was  written  these  words:  NOW  THE 
PRINCESS  CAN  EAT  FOR  SHE  HAS 


24  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

LAUGHED   AND  STEFAN  AND  HIS  LIT- 
TLE SISTER  ARE  VERY  HAPPY. 

'*  What  nonsense !  "  the  first  lady-in-waiting  mur- 
mured with  a  toss  of  her  head. 

"  Yes,  beautiful  nonsense!  "  the  Princess  cried,  clap- 
ping her  hands  and  going  off  into  peal  after  peal  of 
merry  laughter.  "  Isn't  it  beautiful  nonsense,  father? 
And  isn't  Stefan  a  dear  lad?  And,  father,  I'm  awfully 
hungry!  Please  have  some  food  sent  in  at  once  and 
Stefan  must  stay  and  eat  with  me." 

So  the  Tsar  had  great  trays  of  food  brought  in: 
roast  birds  and  vegetables  and  wheaten  bread  and  many 
kinds  of  little  cakes  and  honey  and  milk  and  fruit. 
And  Stefan  and  the  Princess  ate  and  made  merry  and 
the  Tsar  joined  them  and  even  the  first  lady-in-waiting 
took  one  little  cake  which  she  crumbled  in  her  hand- 
kerchief in  a  most  refined  manner. 

Then  Stefan  rose  to  go  and  the  Tsar  said  to  him: 

"  Stefan,  I  will  reward  you  richly.  You  have  made 
the  Princess  laugh  and  besides  you  have  not  insisted 
on  her  marrying  you.  You  are  a  fine  lad  and  I  shall 
never  forget  you." 

"  But,  father,"  the  Princess  said,  "  I  don't  want 
Stefan  to  go.  He  amuses  me  and  I  like  him.  He  said 


THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE  25 

I  needn't  marry  him  unless  I  wanted  to  but,  father, 
I  think  I  want  to." 

"Wow!  Wow! "  the  Tsar  roared.  "What!  My 
daughter  marry  the  son  of  a  farmer! " 

"  Now,  father,"  the  Princess  said,  "  it's  no  use  your 
wow-wowing  at  me  and  you  know  it  isn't.  If  I  can't 
marry  Stefan  I  won't  marry  any  one.  And  if  I  don't 
marry  any  one  I'm  going  to  stop  eating  again.  So 
that's  that !  "  And  still  holding  Stefan's  hand,  the  Prin- 
cess turned  her  face  to  the  wall. 

What  could  the  poor  Tsar  do?  At  first  he  fumed 
and  raged  but  as  usual  after  a  day  or  two  he  came 
around  to  the  Princess's  way  of  thinking.  In  fact  it 
soon  seemed  to  him  that  Stefan  had  been  his  choice 
from  the  first  and  when  one  of  his  councilors  remarked : 
"  Then,  Your  Majesty,  there's  no  use  sending  word 
to  the  neighboring  kings  that  the  Princess  has  reached 
a  marriageable  age  and  would  like  to  look  over  their 
sons,"  the  Tsar  flew  into  an  awful  temper  and  roared: 

'Wow!  Wow!  You  blockhead!  Neighboring 
kings,  indeed,  and  their  good-for-nothing  sons!  No, 
siree!  The  husband  I  want  for  my  daughter  is  an 
honest  farmer  lad  who  knows  how  to  work  and  how 
to  play!  That's  the  kind  of  son-in-law  we  need  in  this 
kingdom!  " 


26  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

So  Stefan  and  the  little  Princess  were  married  and 
from  that  day  the  castle  was  no  longer  gloomy  but 
rang  with  laughter  and  merriment.  Presently  the  peo- 
ple of  the  kingdom,  following  the  example  of  their 
rulers,  were  laughing,  too,  and  cracking  jokes  and, 
strange  to  say,  they  soon  found  they  were  working  all 
the  better  for  their  jollity. 

Laughter  grew  so  fashionable  that  even  Mihailo  and 
Jakov  were  forced  to  take  it  up.  They  didn't  do  it 
very  well  but  they  practised  at  it  conscientiously. 
Whenever  people  talked  about  Stefan,  they  always 
pushed  forward  importantly  and  said: 

"  Ho!  Ho!  Ho!  Do  you  mean  Stefan,  the  Laugh- 
ing Prince?  Ha!  Ha!  Ha!  Why,  do  you  know, 
he's  our  own  brother !  " 

As  for  Militza,  the  Princess  had  her  come  to  the 
castle  and  said  to  her: 

"  I  owe  all  my  happiness  to  you,  my  dear,  for  you 
it  was  who  knew  that  of  course  I  would  laugh  at 
Stefan's  nonsense!  What  sensible  girl  wouldn't?  " 


BEAUTY  AND  THE  HORNS 


The  Story  of  an  Enchanted  Maiden 


BEAUTY  AND  THE  HORNS 

THERE  was  once  a  rich  man  who  when  he  was 
dying  called  his  son  to  his  bedside  and  said: 

"  Daniloi  my  son,  I  am  leaving  you  my  riches.  The 
only  thing  I  ask  of  you  is  this:  close  your  ears  to  all 
reports  of  an  enchanted  maiden  who  is  known  as  Peer- 
less Beauty  and  when  the  time  comes  that  you  wish 
to  marry  choose  for  wife  some  quiet  sensible  girl  of 
your  native  village." 

Now  if  the  father  had  not  mentioned  Peerless  Beauty 
all  might  have  been  well.  Danilo  might  never  have 
heard  of  her  and  after  a  time  he  would  probably  have 
fallen  in  love  with  a  girl  of  his  native  village  and  mar- 
ried her.  As  it  was,  after  his  father's  death  he  kept 
saying  to  himself: 

"  Peerless  Beauty,  the  enchanted  maiden  of  whom 
my  father  warned  me !  I  wonder  is  she  really  as  beau- 
tiful as  all  that!  I  wonder  where  she  lives!" 

He  thought  about  her  until  he  could  think  of  noth- 
ing else. 

"Peerless  Beauty!    Peerless  Beauty!     Oh,  I  must 

see  this  enchanted  maiden  even  if  it  costs  me  my  life! " 

2,0 


30  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

His  father  had  a  brother,  a  wise  old  man,  who  was 
supposed  to  know  everything  in  the  world. 

"  I  will  go  to  my  uncle,"  the  young  man  said.  "  Per- 
haps he  will  tell  me  where  I  can  find  Peerless  Beauty." 

So  he  went  to  his  uncle  and  said: 

"  My  dear  uncle,  my  father  as  he  lay  flying  told 
me  about  a  wonderful  maiden  called  Peerless  Beauty. 
Can  you  tell  me  where  she  lives  because  I  want  to  see 
her  for  myself  and  judge  whether  she  is  as  beautiful 
as  my  father  said." 

His  uncle  looked  at  him  gravely  and  shook  his  head. 

"  My  poor  boy,  how  can  I  tell  you  where  that  en- 
chanted maiden  lives  when  I  know  it  would  mean  death 
to  you  if  ever  you  saw  her?  Think  no  more  about  her 
but  go,  find  some  suitable  maid  in  the  village,  and 
marry  her  like  a  sensible  young  man." 

But  his  uncle's  words,  far  from  dissuading  Danilo, 
only  excited  him  the  more. 

"  If  my  uncle  knows  where  Peerless  Beauty  lives," 
he  thought,  "  other  men  also  know." 

So  one  by  one  he  went  to  all  the  old  men  in  the  vil- 
lage and  asked  them  what  they  knew  of  Peerless 
Beauty.  One  by  one  they  shook  their  heads  and  told 
him  that  Peerless  Beauty  was  no  maiden  for  him  to 
be  thinking  about. 


BEAUTY  AND  THE  HORNS  31 

"  Put  her  out  of  your  mind,"  they  said.  "  These 
enchanted  maidens  are  a  snare  to  young  men.  What 
you  want  to  do  is  marry  some  quiet  industrious  girl 
here  in  the  village  and  settle  down  like  a  sensible  young 


man." 


But  the  oftener  Danilo  heard  this  advice,  the  more 
firmly  convinced  he  became  that  it  was  just  what  he 
did  not  want  to  do. 

'  Time  enough  to  settle  down  after  I've  seen  Peer- 
less Beauty,"  he  told  himself.  "  She  must  be  beautiful 
indeed,  or  all  these  old  men  would  not  be  so  anxious 
to  keep  me  from  seeing  her.  Well,  if  they  won't  tell 
me  where  she  is,  I'll  go  out  in  the  world  and  find  her 
for  myself." 

So  he  put  on  rich  clothes  as  befitted  his  wealth, 
took  a  bag  of  the  gold  his  father  had  left  him,  mounted 
his  horse,  and  rode  off  into  the  world.  Everywhere 
he  went  he  made  inquiries  about  Peerless  Beauty  and 
everywhere  he  found  old  men  who  knew  about  the  en- 
chanted maiden  but  would  tell  him  nothing.  Every 
one  of  them  advised  him  to  go  home  like  a  sensible 
young  man  and  think  no  more  about  her.  But  all  they 
said  only  made  him  the  more  determined  to  see  the 
maiden  for  himself. 

Finally  one  day  as  evening  approached  he  came  to 


32  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

a  little  hut  in  the  woods.  At  the  door  of  the  hut  sat 
a  poor  old  woman.  She  held  out  her  hand  as  he  passed 
and  begged  an  alms.  Danilo,  being  a  kind  hearted 
young  man,  gave  her  a  gold  piece. 

"  May  God  reward  you!  "  the  old  woman  said. 

"  Granny,"  Danilo  asked,  "  can  you  tell  me  the  way 
to  Peerless  Beauty?  " 

"  Aye,  my  son,  that  I  can  but  he  is  a  rash  youth 
who  seeks  that  maiden !  It  were  better  for  you  to  turn 
back  than  to  go  on!  " 

"  But  I'm  not  going  to  turn  back!  "  Danilo  declared. 
"  Whatever  the  outcome  I'm  going  to  find  Peerless 
Beauty  and  see  for  myself  why  all  men  fear  her." 

When  the  old  woman  saw  that  Danilo  was  deter- 
mined, she  gave  up  pleading  with  him  and  pointed  out 
a  faint  trail  in  the  forest  which,  she  told  him,  would 
lead  him  to  Peerless  Beauty's  castle. 

He  slept  that  night  in  the  old  woman's  hut  and 
early  next  morning  set  out  on  the  forest  trail.  By 
afternoon  he  reached  the  castle. 

"What  do  you  want?"  the  guards  demanded 
roughly. 

"  I  want  to  see  Peerless  Beauty." 

"Have  you  gold?"  they  asked  him. 

Danilo  showed  them  his  bag  of  ducats. 


BEAUTY  AND  THE  HORNS  33 

They  led  him  into  a  hall  of  the  castle  and  told  him 
to  put  his  gold  on  a  table.  If  he  did  so,  perhaps 
Peerless  Beauty  would  show  herself  and  perhaps  she 
wouldn't. 

Danilo  did  as  the  guards  directed  and  then  faced  a 
curtain  behind  which,  they  told  him,  Peerless  Beauty 
was  seated.  The  curtain  opened  a  little,  but  instead 
of  showing  her  face  Peerless  Beauty  extended  only 
one  finger.  However,  that  finger  was  so  ravishingly 
beautiful  that  Danilo  almost  fainted  with  delight.  He 
would  have  stayed  gazing  on  that  one  enchanting  fin- 
ger for  hours  if  the  guards  had  not  taken  him  roughly 
by  the  shoulders  and  thrown  him  out  of  the  castle. 

"  Come  again  when  you've  got  more  gold !  "  they 
shouted  after  him. 

Like  a  man  in  a  dream  Danilo  rode  back  to  the  old 
woman's  hut. 

"Now,  my  son,  are  you  satisfied?"  she  asked  him. 
"  Are  you  ready  now  to  go  home  and  settle  down  like 
a  sensible  young  man?  " 

"  Oh,  granny!  "  Danilo  raved.  "  Such  a  finger!  I 
must  see  that  finger  again  if  it  cost  me  my  whole 
fortune !  " 

He  slept  that  night  in  the  old  woman's  hut  and  the 
next  day  returned  to  his  native  village.  There  he  got 


34  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

another  bag  of  the  golden  ducats  which  his  father  had 
left  him  and  at  once  started  back  to  the  castle  of  Peer- 
less Beauty. 

This  time  that  heartless  maiden  stripped  him  again 
of  his  gold,  showed  him  two  of  her  enchanting  fingers, 
and  as  before  had  her  guards  throw  him  out  of  the 
castle. 

"  Come  again  when  you've  got  more  gold! "  they 
shouted  after  him. 

That's  exactly  what  the  poor  young  man  did.  He 
went  back  and  back  until  the  fortune  that  his  father 
had  left  him  was  entirely  squandered.  And  all  he  had 
seen  of  Peerless  Beauty  up  to  that  time  were  the  fin- 
gers of  one  hand!  Shouldn't  you  suppose  that  now 
with  all  his  wealth  lost  he  would  get  over  his  foolish 
infatuation?  Well,  he  didn't. 

"  I  must  go  back  again!  "  he  kept  telling  himself. 

His  gold  was  gone  but  he  still  had  his  father's  house. 
It  was  a  big  old  house  with  garrets  and  cellars. 

"  Perhaps  if  I  hunt  I  shall  find  some  treasures  hid- 
den away  in  odd  corners,"  Danilo  said. 

So  he  hunted  upstairs  and  down.  He  opened  old 
boxes  and  rummaged  about  among  the  dark  rafters. 
One  day  he  came  upon  a  funny  looking  little  cap. 

"  I  wonder  whose  this  was,"  he  thought  to  himself. 


BEAUTY  AND  THE  HORNS  35 

He  went  to  a  mirror  and  tried  the  cap  on.  Then 
a  strange  thing  happened.  The  moment  the  cap 
touched  his  head,  Danilo  disappeared. 

"  Ah! "  he  cried,  "  it's  a  magic  cap  and  the  moment 
I  put  it  on  I  become  invisible!  Now  I  can  slip  into 
Peerless  Beauty's  chamber  and  see  her  lovely  face! " 

With  his  magic  cap  pulled  tightly  down  over  his 
forehead,  he  set  off  once  more  for  Peerless  Beauty's 
castle.  Sure  enough  he  was  able  to  pass  unseen  the 
guards  at  the  gate,  he  was  able  to  go  boldly  into  the 
great  hall,  and  beyond  it  through  the  curtain  into  Peer- 
less Beauty's  own  chamber. 

The  Beauty  was  seated  with  her  back  to  the  cur- 
tain and  a  serving  maid  was  combing  out  her  hair  for 
the  night.  It  was  lovely  hair  and  it  fell  down  over 
Beauty's  shoulders  like  a  mantle  of  gold.  At  mere 
sight  of  it  Danilo  was  so  overcome  with  emotion  that 
he  sighed. 

"  What's  that?  "  Beauty  cried.  "  There's  some  one 
in  my  chamber !  " 

The  serving  maid  looked  under  the  bed  and  behind 
the  chairs  and  in  the  corners. 

"  There's  no  one  here,  my  lady." 

"  That's  strange!  "  Beauty  said.  "  I  feel  as  though 
some  one  were  looking  at  me." 


36  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

When  Danilo  saw  the  actual  face  of  the  enchanted 
maiden,  it  was  all  he  could  do  to  keep  from  crying 
aloud.  She  was  so  unutterably  beautiful  that  he  almost 
swooned  away  in  ecstacy. 

Presently  the  maiden  went  to  bed  and  fell  into  an 
uneasy  sleep.  The  light  of  a  single  candle  shed  a  faint 
radiance  over  her  face  making  it  lovelier  than  ever. 
Through  all  the  long  hours  of  night  Danilo  stood  per- 
fectly still,  gazing  at  her,  afraid  almost  to  breathe  lest 
he  should  disturb  her. 

"  Unless  I  win  her  for  wife,"  he  thought  to  himself, 
"I  shall  nevermore  be  happy!" 

When  morning  came  the  maiden  awoke  with  a  start 
and  said: 

"  There's  some  one  looking  at  me!  Who  is  it?  Who 
is  it?  " 

"  It's  only  your  poor  Danilo,"  a  voice  answered. 

"Danilo?    Who  is  Danilo?" 

"  The  youth  whom  you  have  been  treating  so  cruelly. 
But  though  you  have  treated  me  cruelly,  I  love  you 
still!" 

"  If  you  love  me  still,"  the  maiden  said,  "  let  me 
see  you." 

Danilo  took  off  the  magic  cap  and  there  he  stood, 
a  handsome  youth,  at  the  foot  of  her  bed.  Then  the 


BEAUTY  AND  THE  HORNS  37 

crafty  maiden  spoke  him  fair  and  Danilo  told  her  about 
the  magic  cap,  and  when  she  said  to  him  that  she  re- 
pented having  treated  him  so  cruelly  and  asked  him 
to  let  her  see  the  cap,  the  poor  young  man  was  so 
dazzled  by  her  beauty  and  her  seeming  kindness  that 
he  handed  it  to  her  at  once. 

Instantly  she  clapped  it  on  her  head  and  disappeared. 
Then  she  laughed  in  derision  and  called  out  loudly  to 
the  guards: 

"  Ho,  there!  Take  out  this  young  man  and  drive 
him  forth!  Let  him  return  when  he  has  another  treas- 
ure to  offer  me! " 

So  the  guards  dragged  Danilo  out  and  drove  him 
away. 

With  no  more  gold,  with  no  more  magic  cap,  Danilo 

returned  to  his  father's  house. 

• 

"  Perhaps  there  are  other  treasures  hidden  away," 

he  thought.     "  I'll  search  further." 

• 

In  his  search  he  came  upon  an  old  pitcher  and  think- 
ing it  might  be  silver  he  began  rubbing  it.  Instantly 
there  was  a  clap  of  thunder  and  a  company  of  soldiers 
appeared.  Their  captain  saluted  Danilo  respectfully 
and  said: 

"  We  are  the  servants  of  that  magic  pitcher.  What 
does  our  master  wish  ?  " 


38  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

"Magic  pitcher?"  stammered  Danilo.  "And  am  I 
your  master? " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  captain,  "  you  are  our  master  as 
long  as  you  hold  the  magic  pitcher  in  your  hands." 

"  You  may  disappear  now,"  Danilo  said.  "  I  will 
rub  the  pitcher  when  I  need  you." 

Delighted  with  this  unexpected  good  fortune,  he  hur- 
ried off  to  the  woods  to  the  hut  of  the  old  woman  who 
had  befriended  him  before.  He  showed  her  the  pitcher 
and  demonstrated  for  her  how  it  worked.  Then  he 
asked  her  to  carry  a  message  to  Peerless  Beauty. 

'  Tell  her,"  he  said,  "  that  unless  she  consents  to 
marry  me  at  once  I'll  lead  a  mighty  army  against  her, 
take  her  captive,  and  then  send  her  off  in  exile  to  that 
howling  wilderness  which  people  call  the  Donkeys'  Para- 
dise." f 

"  I  will  deliver  your  message,"  the  old  woman  said, 
"  on  condition  that  you  promise  me  to  be  on  your  guard 
this  time.  Don't  let  the  maiden  trick  you  again.  She 
is  under  an  enchantment  that  makes  her  cruel  and  crafty 
and  the  enchantment  will  never  be  broken  until  she 
meets  a  man  upon  whom  her  wiles  have  no  effect." 

"  Trust  me  this  time,"  Danilo  said.  "  I've  had  my 
lesson." 

So  the  old  woman  delivered  the  message  and  when 


BEAUTY  AND  THE  HORNS  39 

Peerless  Beauty  received  it  with  scorn,  Danilo  at  once 
set  out  for  the  castle  with  the  magic  pitcher  in  his  hand. 
He  began  rubbing  and  every  time  he  rubbed  a  company 
of  soldiers  appeared.  Soon  the  castle  was  surrounded 
by  a  great  army  and  in  fright  and  dismay  Peerless 
Beauty  sent  out  word  that  she  was  ready  to  make  an 
unconditional  surrender. 

When  Danilo  entered  the  castle  he  found  her  humble 
and  meek. 

"  I  have  treated  you  cruelly,"  she  said.  "  Now  I  am 
in  your  power,  do  with  me  what  you  will."  And  she 
began  weeping  softly  until  the  sight  of  her  tears  drove 
Danilo  distracted. 

'  Weep  no  more,  dear  lady!  "  he  cried.  '  You  have 
nothing  to  fear  from  me!  I  love  you!  I  am  your 
slave!" 

The  Peerless  one  slowly  dried  her  tears. 

"  If  you  love  me  as  you  say  you  do,  you  will  tell  me 
by  what  magic  you  have  raised  this  great  army." 

Then  Danilo,  forgetting  the  old  woman's  warning, 
took  the  magic  pitcher  out  of  his  shirt  and  showed  the 
maiden  how  it  worked. 

"  Ah!  "  she  murmured  wonderingly.  "  It  looks  like 
any  old  pitcher!  Please,  Danilo,  let  me  see  it  in  my 
own  hands." 


40  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

Danilo  handed  her  the  pitcher  and,  quick  as  a  flash, 
she  rubbed  it.  There  was  a  clap  of  thunder,  a  com- 
pany of  soldiers  appeared,  and  their  captain  saluting 
her  respectfully  said: 

"  What  does  the  mistress  of  the  pitcher  want? " 

"  Nay!  "  cried  Danilo,  "  it  is  I  who  own  the  pitcher, 
not  she!" 

"  We  are  the  servants,"  the  captain  said,  "  of  who- 
ever holds  the  pitcher." 

At  that  Peerless  Beauty  laughed  loud  and  scornfully 
until  the  castle  rang  with  her  merriment. 

"Seize  that  wretch!"  she  said,  pointing  to  Danilo. 
"  Tie  his  hands  and  drive  him  out  in  exile  to  the  Don- 
keys' Paradise!  Let  him  stay  there  until  he  has  an- 
other treasure  to  present  me!" 

So  they  drove  Danilo  out  to  the  wilderness  and  left 
him  there. 

He  wandered  about  for  many  days  hungry  and 
thirsty,  subsisting  on  roots  and  berries,  and  having  for 
drink  only  the  water  that  collected  in  the  hoof  prints 
of  the  wild  beasts. 

"See  what  I've  come  to!"  he  cried  aloud.  "Why 
didn't  I  heed  the  old  woman's  warning!  If  I  had,  I 
should  have  broken  the  evil  enchantment  that  binds  my 
Peerless  Beauty  and  all  would  have  been  well! " 


BEAUTY  AND  THE  HORNS  41 

One  day  as  he  wandered  about  he  came  upon  a  vine 
that  was  laden  with  great  clusters  of  luscious  red  grapes. 
He  fell  upon  them  ravenously  and  ate  bunch  after 
bunch.  Suddenly  he  felt  something  in  his  hair  and 
lifting  his  hands  he  found  that  horns  had  grown  out 
all  over  his  head. 

"Fine  grapes  these  are!"  he  exclaimed,  "to  bring 
out  horns  on  a  person's  head!  " 

However,  he  was  so  hungry  that  he  kept  on  eating 
until  his  head  was  one  mass  of  horns. 

The  next  day  he  found  a  vine  that  had  clusters  of 
white  grapes.  He  began  eating  the  white  grapes  and 
he  hadn't  finished  a  bunch  before  the  horns  all  fell  off 
his  head. 

"  Ha!  "  he  said.  :<  The  red  grapes  put  horns  on  and 
the  white  grapes  take  them  off!  That's  a  trick  worth 
knowing!  " 

He  took  some  reeds  and  fashioned  two  baskets  one 
of  which  he  filled  with  red  grapes  and  the  other  with 
white  grapes.  Then  staining  his  face  with  the  dark 
juice  of  a  leaf  until  he  looked  brown  and  sunburned 
like  a  countryman,  he  went  back  to  Peerless  Beauty's 
castle.  There  he  marched  up  and  down  below  the 
Peerless  one's  window  crying  his  wares  like  a 
huckster: 


42  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

"  Sweet  grapes  for  sale!  Who  wants  my  fresh  sweet 
grapes ! " 

Now  it  was  not  the  season  for  grapes,  so  Peerless 
Beauty  when  she  heard  the  cry  was  surprised  and  said 
to  her  serving  maid: 

"  Go  quickly  and  buy  me  some  grapes  from  that 
huckster  and  mind  you  don't  eat  one  yourself!  " 

The  serving  maid  hurried  out  to  Danilo  and  he  sold 
her  some  of  the  red  grapes.  As  she  carried  them  in, 
she  couldn't  resist  the  temptation  of  slipping  a  few  into 
her  mouth.  Instantly  some  horns  grew  out  on  her 
head. 

"  That's  to  punish  me  for  disobeying  my  mis- 
tress!" the  poor  girl  cried.  "Oh,  dear,  what  shall 
I  do? " 

She  was  afraid  to  show  herself  to  Peerless  Beauty, 
so  she  pretended  she  was  taken  sick  and  she  went  to  bed 
and  pulled  the  sheet  over  her  head  and  sent  in  the  grapes 
by  another  serving  maid. 

Peerless  Beauty  ate  them  all  before  she  discovered 
their  frightful  property.  Then  there  was  a  great  to- 
do,  and  cries  of  anger  and  of  fright,  and  a  quick  sending 
out  of  the  guards  to  find  the  huckster.  But  the 
huckster  had  disappeared. 

What  could  Peerless  Beauty  .do  now?     She  tried  to 


BEAUTY  AND  THE  HORNS  43 

pull  the  horns  out  but  they  wouldn't  come.  She  tried 
to  cut  them  off  but  they  resisted  the  edge  of  the  sharp- 
est knife.  She  was  too  proud  to  show  herself  with 
horns,  so  she  swathed  her  head  with  jewels  and  rib- 
bons and  pretended  she  was  wearing  an  elaborate  head- 
dress. 

Then  she  sent  heralds  through  the  land  offering  a 
huge  reward  to  any  one  who  could  cure  her  serving 
maid  of  some  strange  horns  that  had  grown  out  on  her 
head.  You  see  she  thought  if  she  could  get  hold  of 
some  one  who  would  cure  the  maid,  then  she  could 
make  him  cure  her,  too. 

Well,  doctors  and  quacks  and  all  sorts  of  people 
came  and  tried  every  kind  of  remedy,  but  all  in  vain. 
The  horns  stayed  firmly  rooted. 

A  whole  week  went  by  and  when  the  last  of  the 
quacks  had  come  and  gone,  Danilo,  disguised  as  an  old 
physician,  presented  himself  and  craved  audience  with 
the  Peerless  one.  He  carried  two  small  jars  in  his 
hands  one  of  which  was  filled  with  a  conserve  made 
from  the  white  grapes  and  the  other  with  a  conserve 
made  from  the  red  grapes. 

Peerless  Beauty,  her  horns  swathed  in  silk  and  gleam- 
ing with  jewels,  received  him  coldly. 

"Are  you  one  more  quack?"  she  asked. 


44  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

"  Not  a  quack,"  he  said,  bowing  low,  "  but  a  man 
who  has  happened  upon  a  strange  secret  of  nature.  I 
can  cure  your  serving  maid  of  her  horns  provided  she 
confess  to  me  all  her  misdeeds  and  hand  over  to  me  any- 
thing she  has  that  does  not  belong  to  her." 

Peerless  Beauty  had  him  shown  to  the  room  where 
the  serving  maid  lay  in  bed.  The  poor  frightened  girl 
at  once  confessed  that  she  had  stolen  a  few  of  her  mis- 
tress's grapes  and  eaten  them.  Danilo  spoke  kindly 
to  her,  gave  her  some  of  the  white  grape  conserve,  and 
as  soon  as  she  had  tasted  it  the  horns  of  course  dropped 
off. 

Thereupon  Peerless  Beauty  led  Danilo  to  her  own 
chamber,  ordered  all  her  people  out,  and  then  acknowl- 
edged that  she,  too,  was  suffering  from  horns. 

"  I  am  sure  I  can  cure  you,"  Danilo  told  her,  "  pro- 
vided you  confess  to  me  all  your  misdeeds  and  hand 
over  to  me  whatever  you  have  that  belongs  to  some 
one  else." 

"  I  cheated  a  foolish  young  man  out  of  five  bags  of 
gold,"  Peerless  Beauty  said.  "  Here  they  are  in  this 
chest.  Take  them." 

Danilo  opened  the  chest  and  took  out  his  own  five 
bags  of  gold. 

"Is  that  all?"  he  asked. 


The  Magic  Pitcher 


BEAUTY  AND  THE  HORNS  47 

"Yes,  that  is  all." 

Danilo  gave  her  some  of  the  red  grape  conserve  and 
of  course,  instead  of  the  horns  already  on  her  head  fall- 
ing off,  more  grew  on. 

"  You're  not  telling  me  the  truth,"  Danilo  said,  "  and 
I  can't  cure  you.  There's  no  use  my  treating  you 
further." 

He  turned  to  go  and  Peerless  Beauty,  in  great  fright, 
begged  him  to  stay. 

"  I  do  remember  another  misdeed,"  she  confessed. 
"  I  took  by  trickery  a  magic  pitcher  from  the  same 
foolish  young  man." 

She  gave  Danilo  the  pitcher  and  he  hid  it  in  his 
shirt. 

"Is  that  all?" 

"  Yes,  that  is  all." 

Danilo  gave  her  some  more  of  the  red  grape  con- 
serve and,  of  course,  more  horns  grew  out  on  her  head. 
Then  he  pretended  to  get  angry. 

"  How  can  you  expect  to  be  cured  when  you  don't 
tell  me  the  truth?  I  told  you  I  could  not  cure  you 
unless  you  confessed  all!" 

Peerless  Beauty  wanted  much  to  keep  the  magic  cap 
but  when  the  strange  physician  thundered  and  scowled 
and  threatened  again  to  leave  her,  more  horned  than 


48  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

ever,  she  acknowledged  that  she  had  taken  the  cap,  too, 
and  handed  it  over. 

This  time  Danilo  gave  her  some  of  the  white  grape 
conserve  and  as  soon  as  she  had  eaten  it  all  the  horns  fell 
off  and  her  head  shimmered  and  shone  as  of  old  with 
her  beautiful  hair. 

Then  Danilo  told  her  who  he  was  and  at  once 
the  maiden  sought  to  ensnare  him  again  with  her 
wiles. 

"  What  a  wonderful  man  you  are,  Danilo!  I  could 
love  you  now  if  you  loved  me,  but  I  know  of  course 
that  you  will  never  love  me  again  after  the  cruel  way 
I  have  treated  you! " 

"But  I  do  love  you!"  Danilo  cried.  "I  do  love 
you!" 

"No,  you  don't!"  she  said,  and  she  pretended  to 
weep.  "  If  you  did  love  me,  you'd  tell  me  where  you 
found  those  red  grapes  and  what  this  magic  conserve 
is  made  of.  But  of  course  you  don't  love  me  enough 
to  tell  me." 

Because  she  looked  more  beautiful  than  ever  with  the 
tears  on  her  lovely  cheeks,  Danilo  was  about  to  tell 
her  what  she  wanted  to  know  when  he  remembered  the 
old  woman's  warning.  That  was  enough.  He  hardened 
his  heart  and  declared: 


BEAUTY  AND  THE  HORNS  49 

"No!  I'll  never  tell  you!  Do  you  hear  me:  111 
never  tell  you! " 

She  wept  and  implored  him  and  used  all  her  wiles, 
but  Danilo  remembering  the  past  was  firm.  And  pres- 
ently he  had  the  reward  that  a  man  always  has  when 
he's  firm,  for  as  soon  as  it  was  evident  that  she  could 
no  longer  befool  him,  the  evil  enchantment  that  bound 
her  broke  with  a  snap  and  Peerless  Beauty  became  a 
human  maiden  as  gentle  and  sweet  and  loving  as  she 
was  beautiful. 

She  knelt  at  Danilo's  feet  and  humbly  begged  his 
pardon  and  promised,  if  he  would  still  marry  her,  to 
make  him  the  most  dutiful  wife  in  the  world. 

So  Danilo  married  Peerless  Beauty  and  with  the  serv- 
ants of  the  magic  pitcher  transported  her  and  her  castle 
and  her  riches  together  with  the  old  woman  who  had 
befriended  them  both  to  his  own  native  village.  There 
he  still  lives  happy  and  prosperous. 

His  uncle  and  all  the  old  men  in  the  village  take 
credit  to  themselves  for  the  success  of  his  adventures. 

"  It  is  due  entirely  to  us,"  they  tell  any  one  who 
will  listen  to  them,  "  that  Danilo  went  out  in  search  of 
Peerless  Beauty  in  the  first  place.  When  he  came  to 
us  and  asked  our  advice  we  said  to  him:  '  Go,  by  all 
means!  You're  young  and  brave  and  of  course  you'll 


50  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

win  her!'  If  we  hadn't  urged  him  to  go,  he  would 
probably  have  settled  down  here  at  home,  married  some 
quiet  village  girl,  and  never  be  heard  of  again!  " 

That's  how  the  old  men  talk  now,  but  we  know  what 
they  really  did  say  at  the  time! 

Yet  after  all  that  doesn't  matter.  All  that  matters 
is  that  Danilo  and  Peerless  Beauty  love  each  other  and 
are  happy. 


THE  PIGEON'S  BRIDE 


The  Story  of  a  Princess  Who  Kissed  and  Told 


THE  PIGEON'S  BRIDE 

Y  •  ^  HERE  was  once  a  King  who  had  an  only  daugh- 
JL  ter.  She  was  as  lovely  as  a  princess  ought  to  be 
and  by  the  time  she  reached  a  marriageable  age  the 
fame  of  her  beauty  had  spread  far  and  wide  over  all 
the  world.  Neighboring  kings  and  even  distant  ones 
were  already  sending  envoys  to  her  father's  court  beg- 
ging permission  to  offer  their  sons  as  suitors  to  the 
Princess's  hand.  As  he  had  no  son  of  his  own  the 
Princess's  father  was  delighted  that  the  day  was  fast 
approaching  when  he  might  have  a  son-in-law,  and  long 
before  even  the  name  of  any  particular  prince  was  dis- 
cussed the  Princess's  mother  had  planned  the  wedding 
down  to  its  last  detail. 

The  Princess  alone  was  uninterested. 

"  I'm  not  ready  to  get  married  yet,"  she'd  say  to  her 
parents  every  day  when  they'd  begin  telling  her  about 
the  various  princes  who  were  anxious  to  gain  her  favor. 
'  Why  such  haste?  I'm  young  and  there's  plenty  of 
time.  Besides,  just  now  I'm  too  busy  with  my  em- 
broidery to  be  bothered  with  a  crowd  of  young  men." 

With  that,  before  the  King  could  reprove  her,  the 

53 


54  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

Princess  would  throw  her  arms  about  his  neck,  kiss  him 
under  the  corner  of  his  mustache,  and  go  flying  off  to 
the  tower-room  where  she  had  her  embroidery  frame. 

Her  mother,  the  Queen,  was  much  upset  by  the 
Princess's  attitude. 

"  In  my  youth,"  she  said,  "  girls  were  not  like  this. 
We  were  brought  up  to  think  that  courtship  and  mar- 
riage were  the  most  important  events  in  our  lives.  I 
don't  know  what's  getting  into  the  heads  of  the  young 
girls  nowadays ! " 

But  the  King,  who  was  still  smiling  from  the  tickling 
little  kiss  which  the  Princess  had  planted  under  the 
corner  of  his  mustache,  always  answered: 

"Tut!  Tut!  We  needn't  worry  yet!  Take  my 
word  for  it  when  some  particular  young  man  comes 
along  she'll  be  interested  fast  enough !  " 

At  this  the  Queen,  ending  the  discussion  every  day 
with  the  same  words,  would  shake  her  head  and  declare: 

"  I  tell  you  it  isn't  natural  for  a  girl  to  be  more 
interested  in  embroidery  than  in  a  long  line  of  hand- 
some young  suitors! " 

The  Princess  was  interested  in  her  embroidery — • 
there's  no  doubt  about  that.  She  spent  every  moment 
she  could  in  the  tower-room,  working  and  singing.  The 
tower  was  high  up  among  the  treetops.  It  was  reached 


THE  PIGEON'S  BRIDE  55 

by  winding  stairs  so  narrow  and  so  many  that  no  one 
any  older  than  the  Princess  would  care  to  climb  them. 
The  Princess  flew  up  them  like  a  bird,  scarcely  pausing 
for  breath.  At  the  top  of  the  stairs  was  a  trap-door 
which  was  the  only  means  of  entrance  into  the  tower- 
room.  Once  in  the  tower-room  with  the  bolt  of  the 
trap-door  securely  fastened,  the  Princess  was  safe  from 
interruption  and  could  work  away  at  her  embroidery 
to  her  heart's  content.  The  tower  had  windows  on  all 
sides,  so  the  Princess  as  she  sat  at  her  embroidery  frame 
could  look  out  north,  east,  south,  and  west. 

The  clouds  sailed  by  in  the  sky,  the  wind  blew  and 
at  once  the  leaves  in  the  treetops  began  murmuring  and 
whispering  among  themselves,  and  the  birds  that  went 
flying  all  over  the  world  would  often  alight  on  some 
branch  near  the  tower  and  sing  to  the  Princess  as  she 
worked  or  chatter  some  exciting  story  that  she  could 
almost  understand. 

"  What!  "  the  Princess  would  think  to  herself  as  she 
looked  out  north,  east,  south,  and  west.  "  Leave  my 
tower  and  my  beautiful  embroidery  to  become  the  wife 
of  some  conceited  young  man!  Never!  " 

From  this  remark  you  can  understand  perfectly  well 
that  the  particular  young  man  of  whom  her  father 
spoke  had  not  yet  come  along.  And  I'm  sure  you'll 


56  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

also  know  that  shutting  herself  up  in  the  tower-room 
and  bolting  the  trap-door  was  not  going  to  keep  him 
away  when  it  was  time  for  him  to  come.  Yet  I  don't 
believe  that  you'd  have  recognized  him  when  he  did 
come  any  more  than  the  Princess  did.  This  is  how 
it  happened: 

One  afternoon  when  as  usual  she  was  working  at  her 
embroidery  and  singing  as  she  worked,  suddenly  there 
was  a  flutter  of  wings  at  the  eastern  window  and  a 
lovely  Pigeon  came  flying  into  the  room.  It  circled 
three  times  about  the  Princess's  head  and  then  alighted 
on  the  embroidery  frame.  The  Princess  reached  out 
her  hand  and  the  bird,  instead  of  taking  fright,  allowed 
her  to  stroke  its  gleaming  neck.  Then  she  took  it  gently 
in  her  hands  and  fondled  it  to  her  bosom,  kissing  its 
bill  and  smoothing  its  plumage  with  her  lips. 

"  You  beautiful  thing!  "  she  cried.  "  How  I  love 
you!" 

"  If  you  really  love  me,"  the  Pigeon  said,  "  have  a 
bowl  of  milk  here  at  this  same  hour  to-morrow  and 
then  we'll  see  what  we'll  see." 

With  that  the  bird  spread  its  wings  and  flew  out  the 
western  window. 

The  Princess  was  so  excited  that  for  the  rest  of  the 
afternoon  she  forgot  her  embroidery. 


THE  PIGEON'S  BRIDE  57 

"  Did  the  Pigeon  really  speak?  "  she  asked  herself  as 
she  stood  staring  out  the  western  window,  "  or  have  I 
been  dreaming?  " 

The  next  day  when  she  climbed  the  winding  stairs 

4 

she  went  slowly  for  she  carried  in  her  hands  a  brim- 
ming bowl  of  milk. 

"  Of  course  it  won't  come  again!  "  she  said,  and  she 
made  herself  sit  down  quietly  before  the  embroidery 
frame  and  work  just  as  though  she  expected  nothing. 

But  exactly  at  the  same  hour  as  the  day  before  there 
was  a  flutter  of  wings  at  the  eastern  window,  the  sound 
of  a  gentle  coo!  coo!  and  there  was  the  Pigeon  ready 
to  be  loved  and  caressed. 

"You  beautiful  creature!"  the  Princess  cried,  kiss- 
ing its  coral  beak  and  smoothing  its  neck  with  her  lips, 
"  how  I  love  you !  And  see,  I  have  brought  you  the 
bowl  of  milk  that  you  asked  for!  " 

The  bird  flew  over  to  the  bowl,  poised  for  a  moment 
on  its  brim,  then  splashed  into  the  milk  as  though  to 
take  a  bath. 

The  Princess  laughed  and  clapped  her  hands  and 
then,  as  she  looked,  she  saw  a  strange  thing  happen. 
The  bird's  feathers  opened  like  a  shirt  and  out  of  the 
feather  shirt  stepped  a  handsome  youth. 

(You  remember  I  told  you  how  surprised  the  Prin- 


58  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

cess  was  going  to  be.    And  you're  surprised,  too,  aren't 
you?) 

He  was  so  handsome  that  all  the  Princess  could  say 

was,  "Oh!" 

i 

He  came  slowly  towards  her  and  knelt  before  her. 

"  Dear  Princess,"  he  said,  "  do  not  be  frightened. 
If  it  had  not  been  for  your  sweet  words  yesterday  when 
you  said  you  loved  me  I  should  never  have  been  able 
to  leave  this  feather  shirt.  Do  not  turn  from  me  now 
because  I  am  a  man  and  not  a  pigeon.  Love  me  still 
if  you  can,  for  I  love  you.  It  was  because  I  fell  in 
love  with  you  yesterday  when  I  saw  you  working  at 
your  embroidery  that  I  flew  in  by  the  open  window 
and  let  you  caress  me." 

For  a  long  time  the  Princess  could  only  stare  at  the 
kneeling  youth,  too  amazed  to  speak.  He  was  so  hand- 
some that  she  forgot  all  about  the  pigeon  he  used  to 
be,  she  forgot  her  embroidery,  she  forgot  everything. 
She  hadn't  supposed  that  any  young  man  in  the  whole 
world  could  be  so  handsome!  Why,  just  looking  at 
him,  she  could  be  happy  forever  and  ever  and  ever! 

"  Would  you  rather  I  were  still  a  pigeon?  "  the  young 
man  asked. 

"  No!  No!  No!  "  the  Princess  <rried.  "  I  like  you 
ever  so  much  better  this  way! " 


THE  PIGEON'S  BRIDE  59 

The  young  man  gravely  bowed  his  head  and  kissed 
her  hand  and  the  Princess  blushed  and  trembled  and 
wished  he  would  do  it  again.  She  had  never  imagined 
that  any  kiss  could  be  so  wonderful! 

They  passed  the  afternoon  together  and  it  seemed 
to  the  Princess  it  was  the  happiest  afternoon  of  all  her 
life.  As  the  sun  was  sinking  the  youth  said: 

"  Now  I  must  leave  you  and  become  a  pigeon  again." 

"  But  you'll  come  back,  won't  you?  "  the  Princess 
begged. 

"  Yes,  I'll  come  back  to-morrow  but  on  one  condi- 
tion: that  you  don't  tell  any  one  about  me.  I'll  come 
back  every  day  at  the  same  hour  but  if  ever  you  tell 
about  me  then  I  won't  be  able  to  come  back  any  more." 

"  I'll  never  tell!  "  the  Princess  promised. 

Then  the  youth  kissed  her  tenderly,  dipped  himself 
in  the  milk,  went  back  into  his  feather  shirt,  and  flew 
off  as  a  pigeon. 

The  next  day  he  came  again  and  the  next  and  the 
next  and  the  Princess  fell  so  madly  in  love  with  him 
that  all  day  long  and  all  night  long,  too,  she  thought 
of  nothing  else.  She  no  longer  touched  her  embroidery 
but  day  after  day  sat  idle  in  the  tower-room  just  await- 
ing the  hour  of  his  arrival.  And  every  day  it  seemed 
to  the  King  and  the  Queen  and  all  the  people  about 


60  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

the  Court  that  the  Princess  was  becoming  more  and 
more  beautiful.  Her  cheeks  kept  growing  pinker,  her 
eyes  brighter,  her  lovely  hair  more  golden. 

"  I  must  say  sitting  at  that  foolish  embroidery  agrees 
with  her,"  the  King  said. 

"  No,  it  isn't  that,"  the  Queen  told  him.  "  It's  the 
big  bowl  of  milk  she  drinks  every  afternoon.  You 
know  milk  is  very  good  for  the  complexion." 

"Milk  indeed!"  murmured  the  Princess  to  herself, 
and  she  blushed  rosier  than  ever  at  thought  of  her  won- 
derful secret. 

But  a  princess  can't  keep  growing  more  and  more 
beautiful  without  everybody  in  the  world  hearing  about 
it.  The  neighboring  kings  soon  began  to  feel  angry 
and  suspicious. 

;e  What  ails  this  Princess  ?  "  they  asked  among  them- 
selves. "  Isn't  one  of  our  sons  good  enough  for  her? 
Is  she  waiting  for  the  King  of  Persia  to  come  as  a  suitor 
or  what?  Let  us  stand  together  on  our  rights  and 
demand  to  know  why  she  won't  consider  one  of  our 
sons!" 

So  they  sent  envoys  to  the  Princess's  father  and 
he  saw  at  once  that  the  matter  had  become  serious. 

"  My  dear,"  he  said  to  the  Princess,  "  your  mother 
and  I  have  humored  you  long  enough.  It  is  high  time 


THE  PIGEON'S  BRIDE  61 

that  you  had  a  husband  and  I  insist  that  you  allow  the 
sons  of  neighboring  kings  to  be  presented  to  you  next 
week." 

"  I  won't  do  it!  "  the  Princess  declared.  "  I'm  not 
interested  in  the  sons  of  the  neighboring  kings  and  that's 
all  there  is  about  it!" 

Her  father  looked  at  her  severely. 

"  Is  that  the  way  for  a  princess  to  talk?  Persist 
in  this  foolishness  and  you  may  embroil  your  country 
in  war!  " 

"I  don't  care!"  the  Princess  cried,  bursting  into 
tears.  "  I  can't  marry  any  of  them,  so  why  let  them 
be  presented?  " 

"  Why  can't  you  marry  any  of  them?  " 

"I  just  can't!"  the  Princess  insisted. 

At  first,  in  spite  of  the  pleadings  of  both  parents,  she 
would  tell  them  no  more,  but  her  mother  kept  ques- 
tioning her  until  at  last  in  self-defense  the  Princess  con- 
fessed that  she  had  a  true  love  who  came  to  her  in  the 
tower  every  afternoon  in  the  form  of  a  pigeon. 

"  He's  a  prince,"  she  told  them,  "  the  son  of  a  distant 
king.  At  present  he  is  under  an  enchantment  that 
turns  him  into  a  pigeon.  When  the  enchantment  is 
broken  he  is  coming  as  a  prince  to  marry  me." 

"  My  poor  child!  "  the  Queen  cried.    "  Think  no  more 


62  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

about  this  Pigeon  Prince!  The  enchantment  may  last 
a  hundred  years  and  then  where  will  you  be!  " 

"  But  he  is  my  love!  "  the  Princess  declared,  "  and  if 
I  can't  have  him  I  won't  have  any  one!  " 

When  the  King  found  that  nothing  they  could  say 
would  move  her  from  this  resolution,  he  sighed  and  mur- 
mured : 

"  Very  well,  my  dear.  If  it  must  be  so,  it  must  be. 
This  afternoon  when  your  lover  comes,  bring  him  down 
to  me  that  I  may  talk  to  him." 

But  that  afternoon  the  Pigeon  did  not  come.  Nor 
the  next  afternoon  either,  nor  the  next,  and  then  too 
late  the  Princess  remembered  his  warning  that  if  she 
told  about  him  he  could  never  come  back. 

So  now  she  sat  in  the  tower-room  idle  and  heart- 
broken, reproaching  herself  that  she  had  betrayed  her 
lover  and  praying  God  to  forgive  her  and  send  him  back 
to  her.  And  the  roses  faded  from  her  cheeks  and  her 
eyes  grew  dull  and  the  people  about  the  Court  began 
wondering  why  they  had  ever  thought  her  the  most 
beautiful  princess  in  the  world. 

At  last  she  went  to  the  King,  her  father,  and  said : 

"  As  my  love  can  no  longer  come  back  to  me  because 
I  forgot  my  promise  and  betrayed  him,  I  must  go  out 
into  the  world  and  hunt  him.  Unless  I  find  him  life 


THE  PIGEON'S  BRIDE  63 

will  not  be  worth  the  living.  So  do  not  oppose  me, 
father,  but  help  me.  Have  three  pairs  of  iron  shoes 
made  for  me  and  three  iron  staffs.  I  will  wander  over 
the  wide  world  until  these  are  worn  out  and  then,  if  by 
that  time  I  have  not  found  him,  I  will  come  home  to 
you." 

So  the  King  had  three  pairs  of  iron  shoes  made  for 
the  Princess  and  three  iron  staffs  and  she  set  forth  on 
her  quest.  She  traveled  through  towns  and  cities  and 
many  kingdoms,  over  rough  mountains  and  desert 
places,  looking  everywhere  for  her  enchanted  love.  But 
nowhere  could  she  find  any  trace  of  him. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  year  she  had  worn  out  the 
first  pair  of  iron  shoes  and  the  first  iron  staff.  At  the 
end  of  the  second  year  she  had  worn  out  the  second  pair 
of  iron  shoes  and  the  second  iron  staff.  At  the  end  of 
the  third  year,  when  she  had  worn  out  the  third  pair 
of  iron  shoes  and  the  third  staff,  she  returned  to  her 
father's  palace  looking  thin  and  worn  and  sad. 

"  My  poor  child,"  the  King  said,  "  I  hope  now  you 
realize  that  the  Pigeon  Prince  is  gone  forever.  Think 
no  more  about  him.  Go  back  to  your  embroidery  and 
when  the  roses  begin  blooming  in  your  cheeks  again 
we'll  find  some  young  prince  for  you  who  isn't  en- 
chanted." 


64  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

But  the  Princess  shook  her  head. 

"  Let  me  try  one  thing  more,  father,"  she  begged, 
"  and  then  if  I  don't  find  my  love  I'll  do  as  you  say." 

The  King  agreed  to  this. 

"  Well,  then,"  the  Princess  said,  "  build  a  public  bath- 
house and  have  the  heralds  proclaim  that  the  King's 
daughter  will  sit  at  the  entrance  and  will  allow  any 
one  to  bathe  free  of  charge  who  will  tell  her  the  story 
of  the  strangest  thing  he  has  ever  heard  or  seen." 

So  the  King  built  the  bath-house  and  sent  out  his 
heralds  far  and  wide.  Men  and  women  from  all  over 
the  world  came  and  bathed  and  told  the  Princess  stories 
of  this  marvel  and  that,  but  never,  alas,  a  word  of  an 
enchanted  pigeon. 

The  days  went  by  and  the  Princess  grew  more  and 
more  discouraged. 

"  Isn't  it  sad,"  the  courtiers  began  whispering,  "  how 
the  Princess  has  lost  her  looks!  Do  you  suppose 
she  ever  was  really  beautiful  or  did  we  just  im- 
agine it? " 

And  the  neighboring  kings  when  they  heard  this  re- 
marked softly  among  themselves : 

"  It's  just  as  well  we  didn't  hurry  one  of  our  sons 
into  a  marriage  with  this  young  woman !  " 

Now  there  was  a  poor  widow  who  lived  near  the  bath- 


The  Princess  Kissed  Its  Coral  Beak 


THE  PIGEON'S  BRIDE  67 

house.  She  had  a  daughter,  a  pretty  young  girl,  who 
used  to  sit  at  the  window  and  watch  the  Princess  as 
people  came  and  told  her  their  stories. 

"  Mother,"  the  girl  said  one  day,  "  every  one  in  the 
world  goes  to  the  bath-house  and  I  want  to  go,  too !  " 

"Nonsense!"  the  mother  said.  'What  story  could 
you  tell  the  Princess  ?  " 

"  But  everybody  else  goes  and  I  don't  see  why  I 
can't!" 

"  Well,  my  dear,"  the  mother  promised,  "  you  may 
just  as  soon  as  you  see  or  hear  something  strange. 
Talk  no  more  about  it  now  but  go,  fetch  me  a  pitcher 
of  water  from  the  town  well." 

The  girl  obediently  took  an  empty  pitcher  and  went 
to  the  town  well.  Just  as  she* had  filled  the  pitcher  she 
heard  some  one  say: 

"  Mercy  me,  I  fear  I'll  be  late! " 

She  turned  around  and  what  do  you  think  she  saw? 
A  rooster  in  wooden  shoes  with  a  basket  under  his 
wing! 

"  I  fear  I'll  be  late!  I  fear  I'll  be  late!  "  the  rooster 
kept  repeating  as  he  hurried  off  making  a  funny  little 
clatter  with  his  wooden  shoes. 

"How  strange!"  the  girl  thought  to  herself.  "A 
rooster  with  wooden  shoes !  I'm  sure  the  Princess  would 


68  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

love  to  hear  about  him!  I'll  follow  him  and  see  what 
he  does." 

He  went  to  a  garden  where  he  filled  his  basket  with 
fresh  vegetables — with  onions  and  beans  and  garlic. 
Then  he  hurried  home  to  a  little  house.  The  girl  slipped 
in  after  him  and  hid  behind  the  door. 

"Thank  goodness,  I'm  on  time!"  the  rooster  mur- 
mured. 

He  put  a  big  bowl  on  the  table  and  filled  it  with 
milk. 

"  There!  "  he  said.    "  Now  I'm  ready  for  them!  " 

Presently  twelve  beautiful  pigeons  came  flying  in  by 
the  open  door.  Eleven  of  them  dipped  in  the  bowl  of 
milk,  their  feather  shirts  opened,  and  out  they  stepped 
eleven  handsome  youths.  But  the  Twelfth  Pigeon 
perched  disconsolately  on  the  windowsill  and  remained 
a  pigeon.  The  eleven  laughed  at  him  and  said: 

"Poor  fellow,  your  bride  betrayed  you,  didn't  she? 
So  you  have  to  remain  shut  up  in  your  feather  shirt 
while  we  go  off  -and  have  a  jolly  time!  " 

"Yes,"  the  Twelfth  Pigeon  said,  "she  broke  her 
promise  and  now  she  goes  wandering  up  and  down  the 
world  hunting  for  me.  If  she  doesn't  find  me  I  shall 
nevermore  escape  the  feather  shirt  but  shall  have  to  fly 
about  forever  as  a  pigeon.  But  I  know  she  will  find  me 


THE  PIGEON'S  BRIDE  69 

for  she  will  never  stop  until  she  does.  And  when  she 
finds  me,  then  the  enchantment  will  be  broken  forever 
,and  I  can  marry  her!  " 

The  eleven  youths  went  laughing  arm  in  arm  out  of 
the  house  and  in  a  few  moments  the  solitary  Pigeon 
flew  after  them.  Instantly  the  girl  slipped  out  from 
behind  the  door  and  hurried  home  with  her  pitcher  of 
water.  Then  she  ran  quickly  across  to  the  bath-house 
and  all  out  of  breath  she  cried  to  the  Princess: 

"  O  Princess,  I  have  such  a  wonderful  story  to  tell 
you  all  about  a  rooster  with  wooden  shoes  and  twelve 
pigeons  only  eleven  of  them  are  not  pigeons  but  hand- 
some young  men  and  the  twelfth  one  has  to  stay  in  his 
feather  shirt  because — " 

At  mention  of  the  enchanted  pigeons,  the  Princess 
turned  pale.  She  held  up  her  hand  and  made  the  girl 
pause  until  she  had  her  breath,  then  she  questioned  her 
until  she  knew  the  whole  story. 

"  It  must  be  my  love !  "  the  Princess  thought  to  her- 
self. "  Thank  God  I  have  found  him  at  last!  " 

The  next  day  at  the  same  hour  she  went  with  the 
girl  to  the  town  well  and  when  the  rooster  clattered 
by  in  his  wooden  shoes  they  followed  him  home  and 
slipping  into  the  house  they  hid  behind  the  door  and 
waited.  Presently  twelve  pigeons  flew  in.  Eleven  of 


70  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

them  dipped  in  the  milk  and  came  out  handsome  young 
men.  The  Twelfth  sat  disconsolately  on  the  window 
sill  and  remained  a  pigeon.  The  eleven  laughed  at  him 
and  twitted  him  with  having  had  a  bride  that  had  be- 
trayed him.  Then  the  eleven  went  away  laughing  arm 
in  arm.  Before  the  Twelfth  could  fly  after  them,  the 
Princess  ran  out  from  behind  the  door  and  cried : 

"  My  dear  one,  I  have  found  you  at  last ! " 

The  Pigeon  flew  into  her  hands  and  she  took  him  and 
kissed  his  coral  beak  and  smoothed  his  gleaming  plum- 
age with  her  lips.  Then  she  put  him  in  the  milk  and 
the  feather  shirt  opened  and  her  own  true  love  stepped 
out. 

She  led  him  at  once  to  her  father  and  when  the  King 
found  him  well  trained  in  all  the  arts  a  prince  should 
know  he  accepted  him  as  his  future  son-in-law  and  pre- 
sented him  to  the  people. 

So  after  all  the  Princess's  mother  was  able  to  give 
her  daughter  the  gorgeous  wedding  she  had  planned  for 
years  and  years.  Preparations  were  begun  at  once  but 
the  Queen  insisted  on  making  such  vast  quantities  of 
little  round  cakes  and  candied  fruits  and  sweetmeats 
of  all  kinds  that  it  was  three  whole  months  before  the 
wedding  actually  took  place.  By  that  time  the  roses 
were  again  blooming  in  the  Princess's  cheeks,  her  eyes 


THE  PIGEON'S  BRIDE  71 

were  brighter  than  before,  and  her  long  shining  hair 
was  more  golden  than  ever. 

All  the  neighboring  kings  were  invited  to  the  wed- 
ding and  when  they  saw  the  bride  they  shook  their 
heads  sadly  and  said  among  themselves: 

"  Lost  her  looks  indeed!  What  did  people  mean  by 
saying  such  a  thing?  Why,  she's  the  most  beautiful 
princess  in  the  world!  What  a  pity  she  didn't  marry 
one  of  our  sons!" 

But  when  they  met  the  Prince  of  her  choice,  they 
saw  at  once  why  the  Princess  had  fallen  in  love  with 
him. 

"  Any  girl  would!  "  they  said. 

It  was  a  big  wedding,  as  I  told  you  before,  and  the 
only  guest  present  who  was  not  a  king  or  a  queen  or  a 
royal  personage  of  some  sort  was  the  poor  girl  who 
saw  the  rooster  with  wooden  shoes  in  the  first  place. 
The  Queen,  of  course,  had  wanted  only  royalty 
but  the  Princess  declared  that  the  poor  girl  was 
her  dear  friend  and  would  have  to  be  invited.  So  the 
Queen,  when  she  saw  that  the  Princess  was  set  on  hav- 
ing her  own  way,  had  the  poor  girl  come  to  the  palace 
before  the  wedding  and  decked  her  out  in  rich  clothes 
until  people  were  sure  that  she  was  some  strange  prin- 
cess whom  the  bride  had  met  on  her  travels. 


72  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

"  My  dear,"  whispered  the  Princess  as  they  sat  down 
beside  each  other  at  the  wedding  feast,  "  how  beautiful 
you  look!  " 

"  But  I'm  not  as  beautiful  as  you!  "  the  girl  said. 

The  Princess  laughed. 

"  Of  course  not !  No  one  can  be  as  beautiful  as  I 
am  because  I  have  the  secret  of  beauty! " 

"  Dear  Princess,"  the  poor  girl  begged,  "  won't  you 
tell  me  the  secret  of  beauty?  " 

The  Princess  leaned  over  and  whispered  something 
in  the  poor  girl's  ear. 

It  was  only  one  word: 

"Happiness!" 


•  B|iA*fc?'*t 

ms 


THE  LITTLE  LAME  FOX 


The  Story  of  the  Youngest  Brother  Who  Found  the  Magic 
Grape-Vine  and  Married  the  Golden  Maiden 


THE  LITTLE  LAME  FOX 

THERE  was  once  a  wealthy  farmer  who  had  three 
sons.  The  oldest  was  a  selfish  overbearing  fel- 
low. The  second  was  a  weak  chap  who  always  did 
everything  his  brother  suggested.  The  youngest  whose 
name  was  Janko  was  not  as  bright  and  clever  as  his 
brothers  but  he  was  honest  and,  moreover,  he  had  a  good 
heart  and  in  this  world  a  good  heart,  you  know,  is  more 
likely  to  bring  its  owner  happiness  than  wicked  brains. 

"  That  booby! "  the  oldest  brother  would  say  when- 
ever he  saw  Janko.  And  the  second  would  snicker  and 
repeat  the  ugly  word,  "  Booby!  " 

The  father  was  proud  of  his  three  sons  and  happy  to 
see  them  grow  up  strong  and  healthy. 

"  They're  good  boys,"  he'd  say  to  himself,  "  and  I'm 
a  fortunate  father." 

Now  there  was  one  very  curious  thing  about  this 
farmer  that  nobody  understood.  One  of  his  eyes  was 
always  laughing  and  the  other  was  always  weeping. 

"What's  the  matter  with  your  father's  eyes?"  peo- 
ple used  to  ask  the  sons. 

The  sons  didn't  know  any  more  than  any  one  else. 

75 


76  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

One  day  they  were  in  the  garden  discussing  the  matter 
among  themselves. 

"  Why  don't  we  just  go  and  ask  him?  "  Janko  sug-. 
gested. 

"If  anybody  is  to  ask  him,  I  will!"  declared  the 
oldest  brother  importantly. 

So  he  went  indoors  to  his  father  and  said: 

"  Father,  people  are  forever  talking  about  your  eyes. 
Now  I  wish  you  would  tell  me  why  one  of  them  is  al- 
ways laughing  and  the  other  always  weeping." 

"  My  eyes,  indeed!  "  cried  the  farmer,  and  in  a  rage 
he  snatched  up  a  knife  and  hurled  it  straight  at  his 
son.  The  young  man  dodged  aside  and  fled  and  the 
knife  stuck  in  the  door  jamb. 

All  out  of  breath  the  oldest  brother  returned  to  the 
others  but  of  course  he  was  ashamed  to  tell  them  what 
had  happened.  So  he  said  to  them: 

"  If  you  want  to  know  what's  the  matter  with  fath- 
er's eyes,  you'll  have  to  ask  him  yourselves." 

So  the  second  brother  went  in  to  the  farmer  and 
he  had  exactly  the  same  experience.  When  he  came 
out  he  gave  his  older  brother  a  wink  and  said  to  Janko : 

"  Now  it  is  your  turn,  Booby.  Father  is  waiting 
for  you." 

So  Janko  went  in  to  his  father  and  said: 


THE  LITTLE  LAME  FOX  77 

"  You  have  told  my  brothers  why  one  of  your  eyes 
is  always  laughing  and  the  other  always  weeping.  Now 
please  tell  me  for  I,  too,  want  to  know." 

In  a  rage  the  farmer  snatched  up  the  knife  again 
and  lifted  his  arm  to  hurl  it.  But  Janko  stood  per- 
fectly still.  Why  should  he  turn  and  run  away  as 
though  he  had  done  something  wrong?  He  had  only 
asked  his  father  a  civil  question  and  if  his  father  did 
not  wish  to  answer  it,  he  could  tell  him  so. 

The  farmer  when  he  saw  that  the  boy  was  not  to  be 
frightened  smiled  and  laid  the  knife  aside. 

'  Thank  God,"  he  said,  "  I  have  one  son  who  is  not 
a  coward!  I  have  been  waiting  these  many  years  to 
have  my  sons  ask  me  this  very  question.  My  right  eye 
laughs  because  God  has  blessed  me  and  made  me  rich 
and  has  allowed  my  three  sons  to  grow  to  manhood, 
strong  and  healthy.  My  left  eye  weeps  because  I  can 
never  forget  a  Magic  Grape-Vine  which  once  grew  in 
my  garden.  It  used  to  give  me  a  bucket  of  wine  every 
hour  of  the  twenty-four!  One  night  a  thief  came  and 
stole  my  Magic  Vine  and  I  have  never  heard  of  it  since. 
Do  you  wonder  that  my  left  eye  weeps  at  the  memory 
of  this  wonderful  Vine?  Alas,  the  bucket  of  wine  that 
used  to  flow  out  of  it  every  hour  of  the  day  and  night — 
I  have  never  tasted  its  like  since! " 


78  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

"  Father,"  Janko  said,  "  dry  your  weeping  eye!  I 
and  my  brothers  will  go  out  into  the  world  and  find 
your  Magic  Grape- Vine  wherever  it  is  hidden!  " 

With  that  Janko  ran  out  to  his  brothers  and  when 
they  heard  what  he  had  to  say  they  laughed  and  called 
him,  "  Booby!  "  and  asked  him  didn't  he  suppose  that 
they  had  already  planned  to  do  just  this  thing.  Of 
course  they  hadn't,  but  they  were  so  jealous  and  ill- 
natured  that  they  couldn't  bear  the  thought  of  his  being 
the  first  to  suggest  anything. 

"  We  mustn't  lose  any  more  time,"  Janko  said. 

"  It  doesn't  matter  how  much  time  you  lose,  Mr. 
Booby!  As  for  us  we  two  are  going  to  start  out  to- 
morrow at  sunrise." 

"  But,  brothers,"  Janko  begged,  "  please  let  me  go, 
too!" 

"  No!  "  they  told  him  shortly.  "  You  can  stay  home 
and  look  after  the  farm!  " 

But  their  father  when  he  heard  the  discussion  said, 
no,  Janko  was  also  to  go  as  he  was  the  bravest  of  them 
all.  After  that  the  brothers,  because  they  didn't  want 
their  father  to  tell  how  they  had  been  afraid  and  run 
away,  had  to  agree. 

So  the  next  morning  early  the  three  of  them  started 
out,  each  with  a  wallet  well-stocked  with  food. 


THE  LITTLE  LAME  FOX  79 

"  How  are  we  going  to  get  rid  of  the  Booby? "  the 
second  one  whispered. 

"  Trust  me!  "  the  oldest  one  whispered  back  with  a 
wink. 

Presently  they  came  to  a  crossroads  where  three  roads 
branched.  Now  the  oldest  brother  knew  that  after  a 
short  distance  two  of  the  roads  came  together  again. 
So  he  motioned  the  second  brother  slyly  that  he  was 
to  take  the  middle  road.  Then  he  said: 

"Brothers,  let  us  part  here  and  each  take  a  dif- 
ferent road.  Do  you  agree?  " 

"  Yes,"  the  other  two  said,  "  we  agree." 

"  Then  suppose  Janko  take  the  left-hand  road." 

"  And  I'll  take  the  middle  road,"  the  second  cried. 

"  And  I,"  the  eldest  said,  "  will  take  the  one  that's 
left.  So  farewell,  brothers,  and  let  us  meet  here  in  a 
year's  time." 

"  God  bless  us  all,"  Janko  called  out,  "  and  grant 
that  one  of  us  may  find  our  dear  father's  Magic  Grape- 
Vine." 

The  two  older  brothers  of  course  met  in  a  short  time 
when  their  roads  joined  and  they  had  a  good  laugh 
to  think  how  they  had  outwitted  the  Booby. 

"  Time  enough  to  look  for  that  old  Grape- Vine  when 
we've  had  a  little  fun!  "  the  eldest  said.  "Let  us  sit 


80  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

down  here  and  eat  a  bite  and  then  push  on  to  the  next 
village.  There's  an  inn  there  where  we  can  try  our 
luck  at  cards." 

So  they  sat  down  by  the  roadside,  opened  their  wal- 
lets, and  laid  out  some  bread  and  cheese.  Just  then  a 
Little  Lame  Fox  came  limping  up  on  three  feet,  and 
whimpering  and  fawning  it  begged  for  something  to 
eat. 

"  Get  out!  "  bawled  the  older  brother  and  the  second, 
picking  up  a  handful  of  stones,  threw  them  at  the  Fox. 

The  little  animal  shied  and  then  came  timidly  back, 
again  begging  for  something  to  eat. 

"  Let's  kill  it!  "  cried  one  of  the  brothers. 

They  both  jumped  up  and  tried  to  strike  the  little 
creature  with  their  sticks.  The  Fox  limped  off  and 
they  followed,  hitting  at  it  as  they  ran  and  always  just 
missing  it.  It  was  so  weak  and  lame  that  they  ex- 
pected every  minute  to  overtake  it  and  so  kept  on  chas- 
ing it  until  it  had  led  them  pretty  far  into  the  woods. 
Then  suddenly  it  disappeared  and  there  was  nothing 
left  for  the  brothers  to  do  but  make  their  way  back  to 
the  roadside  grumbling  and  cursing.  In  their  absence 
some  shepherd  dogs  had  found  their  open  wallets  and 
eaten  all  their  food.  So  now  they  really  had  something 
to  curse  about. 


THE  LITTLE  LAME  FOX  81 

Janko  meanwhile  had  been  trudging  along  steadily 
on  the  third  road.  At  last  when  he  began  to  feel  hun- 
gry, he  sat  down  by  the  wayside  and  opened  his  wallet. 
Instantly  the  same  Little  Lame  Fox  came  limping  up 
and  whimpered  and  fawned  and  begged  for  something 
to  eat. 

"  You  poor  little  creature,"  Janko  said,  "  are  you 
hungry?" 

He  held  out  his  hand  coaxingly  and  the  animal  gave 
it  a  timid  sniff. 

"  Of  course  I'll  give  you  something  to  eat,"  Janko 
said.  "  There's  enough  for  both  of  us." 

With  that  he  divided  his  bread  and  cheese  and  gave 
the  Little  Fox  half.  Then  they  ate  together  and  the 
Little  Fox  allowed  Janko  to  pat  her  head. 

When  they  finished  eating  the  Fox  sat  up  on  her 
haunches  and  said: 

"  Now,  Janko,  tell  me  about  yourself.  Who  are  you 
and  where  are  you  going?  " 

The  Fox  seemed  such  a  sensible  little  person  that 
it  didn't  surprise  Janko  in  the  least  to  have  her  sit  up 
and  talk.  Janko's  brothers  would  have  said  that  he 
hadn't  sense  enough  to  be  surprised.  But  he  had  a  good 
heart,  Janko  had,  and  as  you'll  soon  hear  a  good  heart 
is  a  much  better  guide  for  conduct  than  wicked  brains. 


82  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

Janko  answered  the  Fox  simply  and  truthfully.  He 
told  about  his  father  and  his  two  brothers  and  about 
his  father's  weeping  eye  and  the  Magic  Grape- Vine 
for  which  he  and  his  brothers  were  gone  in  search. 

"  You've  been  good  to  me,"  the  Little  Fox  said. 
"  You've  shared  your  bread  with  me  and  that  makes 
us  friends.  So  from  now  on  if  you'll  be  a  brother  to 
me,  I'll  be  a  little  sister  to  you." 

Goodness  knows  Janko's  own  brothers  weren't  very 
good  to  him,  but  Janko  understood  what  the  Little 
Fox  meant  and  he  agreed. 

"  Well  then,  brother,"  the  Fox  said,  "  I  know  where 
that  Grape- Vine  is  and  I'm  going  to  help  you  to  get 
it.  If  you  do  just  as  I  say  I  don't  believe  you'll  have 
any  trouble.  Now  take  hold  of  my  tail  and  away  we'll 
go." 

So  Janko  took  hold  of  the  Little  Fox's  tail  and  sure 
enough  away  they  went.  Whether  they  sailed  through 
the  air  or  just  ran  fleetly  along  the  ground  I  don't 
know.  But  I  do  know  that  they  went  a  great  distance 
and  that  when  they  stopped  Janko  didn't  feel  in  the 
least  tired  or  breathless. 

"  Now,  my  brother,"  the  Little  Fox  said,  "  listen 
carefully  to  what  I  tell  you.  The  king  of  this  coun- 
try has  a  wonderful  garden.  In  the  midst  of  it  your 


THE  LITTLE  LAME  FOX  83 

father's  Grape-Vine  is  planted.  We  are  close  to  the 
garden  now.  It  is  protected  by  twelve  watches  each  of 
which  is  composed  of  twelve  guards.  To  get  to  the 
Grape-Vine  you  will  have  to  pass  them  all.  Now  as  you 
approach  each  watch  look  carefully.  If  the  eyes  of  all 
the  guards  are  open  and  staring  straight  at  you,  have  no 
fear.  They  sleep  with  their  eyes  open  and  they  won't 
see  you.  But  if  their  eyes  are  closed,  then  be  careful 
for  when  their  eyes  are  closed  they  are  awake  and  ready 
to  see  you.  You  will  find  the  Grape-Vine  in  the  very 
center  of  the  garden.  Standing  near  it  you  will  see 
two  spades,  a  wooden  spade  and  a  golden  spade.  Take 
the  wooden  spade  and  dig  up  the  Vine  as  quickly  as 
you  can.  Under  no  condition  touch  the  golden  spade. 
Now,  Janko,  do  you  understand?" 

Yes,  Janko  thought  he  understood.  He  slipped  into 
the  garden  and  the  first  thing  he  saw  were  twelve  fierce 
looking  guards  who  were  staring  at  him  with  great 
round  eyes.  He  was  much  frightened  until  he  remem- 
bered that  the  Little  Fox  had  said  that  if  their  eyes 
were  open  they  were  fast  asleep.  So  he  picked  up 
courage  and  walked  straight  by  them  and  sure  enough 
they  didn't  see  him.  He  passed  watch  after  watch  in 
the  same  way  and  at  last  reached  the  center  of  the  gar- 
den. He  saw  the  Grape-Vine  at  once.  There  was  no 


84  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

mistaking  it  for  at  that  very  moment  it  was  pouring 
out  wine  of  itself  into  a  golden  bucket.  Near  it  were 
two  spades.  Janko  in  great  excitement  snatched  up  the 
first  that  came  to  his  hand  and  began  to  dig.  Alas, 
it  was  the  golden  spade  and  as  Janko  drove  it  into  the 
earth  it  sent  out  a  loud  ringing  sound  that  instantly 
woke  the  guards.  They  came  running  from  all  direc- 
tions with  their  eyes  tightly  closed  for  now,  of  course, 
they  were  awake.  They  caught  Janko  and  dragged  him 
to  the  king  to  whom  they  said : 

"  A  thief !  A  thief !  We  found  him  trying  to  steal 
your  Magic  Grape-Vine!" 

"My  Magic  Grape- Vine !"  thundered  the  king. 
"  Young  man,  what  do  you  mean  trying  to  steal  my 
Magic  Grape- Vine?  " 

"  Well,  you  see,"  Janko  answered  simply,  "  the 
Grape-Vine  really  belongs  to  my  father.  It  was  stolen 
from  him  years  ago  and  ever  since  then  his  left  eye 
has  wept  over  the  loss  of  it.  Give  me  the  Vine,  O 
king,  for  if  you  don't  I  shall  have  to  come  back  and 
try  again  to  steal  it  for  it  belongs  to  my  father  and 
I  have  sworn  to  get  it !  " 

The  king  frowned  in  thought  and  at  last  he  said : 

"  I  can't  give  away  my  precious  Grape- Vine  for  noth- 
ing, young  man,  but  I  tell  you  what  I'll  do:  I'll  give 


THE  LITTLE  LAME  FOX  85 

it  to  you  provided  you  get  for  me  the  Golden  Apple- 
Tree  that  bears  buds,  blossoms,  and  golden  fruit  every 
twenty-four  hours." 

With  that  Janko  was  dismissed  and  turned  out  of 
the  garden. 

The  Little  Fox  was  waiting  for  him  and  Janko  had 
the  shame  of  confessing  that  he  had  forgotten  the  warn- 
ing about  the  golden  spade  and  had  been  caught. 

"  But  the  king  says  he  will  give  me  the  Grape- Vine 
provided  I  get  for  him  the  Golden  Apple-Tree  that 
bears  buds,  blossoms,  and  golden  fruit  every  twenty- 
four  hours." 

"Well,  brother,"  the  Little  Fox  said,  "you  were 
good  to  me,  so  I'll  help  you  again.  Take  hold  of  my 
tail  and  away  we'll  go." 

Janko  took  hold  of  the  Little  Fox's  tail  and  away 
they  went  a  greater  distance  than  before.  In  spite  of 
going  so  quickly  it  took  them  a  long  time  but  whether 
it  was  weeks  or  months  I  don't  know.  Whichever  it 
was  when  they  stopped  Janko  didn't  feel  in  the  least 
tired  or  breathless. 

"  Now,  brother,"  the  Little  Fox  said,  "  here  we  are 
in  another  country  close  to  the  king's  garden  where  the 
Golden  Apple-Tree  grows.  To  reach  it  you  will  have 
to  pass  twenty-four  watches  of  twelve  guards  each. 


86  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

Take  care  that  you  pass  each  guard  as  before  when  his 
eyes  are  wide  open  and  staring  straight  at  you  for  that 
means  he  is  asleep.  When  you  reach  the  Golden  Apple- 
Tree  you  will  see  two  long  poles  on  the  ground — a 
wooden  pole  and  a  golden  pole.  Take  the  wooden  pole 
and  beat  down  some  of  the  golden  fruit.  Don't  touch 
the  golden  pole.  Remember!" 

So  Janko  crept  into  the  second  garden  and  succeeded 
in  passing  all  the  guards  of  the  twenty-four  watches 
when  their  eyes  were  wide  open  and  staring  straight 
at  him.  He  reached  the  Golden  Apple-Tree  and  saw 
at  once  the  two  long  poles  that  were  lying  near  it  on 
the  ground.  Now  whether  because  he  was  excited  or 
because  he  forgot  what  the  Fox  said — he  had  a  good 
heart,  Janko  had,  but  he  was  a  little  careless  some- 
times— I  don't  know.  But  I  do  know  that  instead  of 
taking  the  wooden  pole  as  the  Fox  had  told  him,  he 
took  the  golden  pole.  At  the  first  stroke  of  the 
golden  pole  against  the  golden  branches  of  the  tree,  the 
golden  branches  sent  out  a  loud  clear  whistle  that  woke 
all  the  sleeping  guards.  Every  last  one  of  them  came 
running  to  the  Apple-Tree  and  in  no  time  at  all  they 
had  captured  poor  Janko  and  carried  him  to  their  mas- 
ter, the  king. 

"Trying  to  steal  my  Golden  Apple-Tree,  is  he?" 


THE  LITTLE  LAME  FOX  87 

roared  the  king  in  a  great  rage.  "  What  do  you  want 
with  my  Golden  Apple-Tree,  young  man?  " 

"  Well,  you  see,"  Janko  answered  simply,  "  I  have  to 
have  the  Golden  Apple-Tree  to  exchange  it  for  the 
Magic  Grape- Vine  that  really  belongs  to  my  father. 
It  was  stolen  from  him  years  ago  and  ever  since  then 
his  left  eye  has  wept  over  the  loss  of  it.  Give  me  the 
Golden  Apple-Tree,  O  king,  for  if  you  don't  I  shall 
have  to  come  back  and  try  again  to  steal  it." 

The  king  seemed  impressed  with  Janko's  words  for 
after  a  moment  he  said: 

"  Janko,  I  can't  give  you  the  Golden  Apple-Tree  for 
nothing,  but  I  tell  you  what  I'll  do:  I'll  let  you  have  it 
provided  you  get  for  me  the  Golden  Horse  that  can 
race  around  the  world  in  twenty-four  hours." 

With  that  Janko  was  dismissed  and  turned  out  of 
the  garden. 

As  usual  the  Little  Fox  was  waiting  for  him  and 
again  Janko  had  the  shame  of  confessing  that  he  had 
forgotten  the  warning  about  the  golden  pole  and  had 
been  caught. 

"  But  the  king  says  he  will  give  me  the  Golden 
Apple-Tree  provided  I  get  him  the  Golden  Horse  that 
can  race  around  the  world  in  twenty-four  hours.  I 
wonder,  dear  Little  Fox,  will  you  help  me  again? " 


88  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

"  Yes,  brother,  I  will  help  you  again  for  you  were 
good  to  me.  Take  hold  of  my  tail  and  away  we'll  go." 

So  Janko  took  hold  of  the  Little  Fox's  tail  and  away 
they  went.  How  far  they  went  and  how  long  they  were 
gone  I  don't  know,  but  it  was  a  great  distance  and  a 
long  time.  However  they  arrived  without  feeling  in 
the  least  tired  or  breathless. 

"  Now,  brother,"  the  Little  Fox  said,  "  this  time  listen 
carefully  to  what  I  tell  you.  Here  we  are  in  another 
kingdom  close  to  the  king's  own  stable  where  the  Golden 
Horse  is  guarded  by  thirty-six  watches  of  twelve  guards 
each.  When  night  comes  you  must  slip  into  the  stable 
and  pass  all  those  guards  when  they  are  asleep  with 
their  eyes  wide  open  and  staring  straight  at  you.  When 
you  reach  the  Golden  Horse  you  will  see  hanging  be- 
side him  a  golden  bridle  and  a  common  bridle  made  of 
hempen  rope.  Slip  the  hempen  bridle  over  the  Horse's 
head  and  lead  him  quietly  out  of  the  stable.  But  mind 
you  don't  touch  the  golden  bridle!  This  time  don't 
forget!" 

Janko  promised  faithfully  to  remember  what  the  Lit- 
tle Fox  said  and  when  night  came  he  crept  into  the 
stable  and  cautiously  made  his  way  through  the  sleep- 
ing guards.  He  reached  at  last  the  stall  of  the  Golden 
Horse.  It  was  the  most  beautiful  horse  in  the  world 


THE  LITTLE  LAME  FOX  89 

and  the  gleam  of  its  shining  flanks  was  like  sunshine  in 
the  dark  stable. 

Janko  stroked  its  golden  mane  and  whispered  softly 
into  its  ear.  The  horse  responded  to  his  touch  and 
rubbed  its  muzzle  against  his  shoulder. 

Janko  reached  over  to  take  the  hempen  bridle  and 
then  he  paused.  "  It  would  be  an  outrage,"  he  thought 
to  himself,  "  to  put  a  common  rope  on  this  glorious 
creature!  " 

Just  think  of  it!  For  the  third  time  Janko  forgot 
the  Little  Fox's  warning!  I  have  no  excuse  to  make 
for  him.  I  don't  see  how  he  could  have  forgotten  a 
third  time!  But  he  did.  He  took  the  golden  bridle  in- 
stead of  the  hempen  one  and  put  it  over  the  head  of 
the  Golden  Horse.  The  Horse  neighed  and  instantly 
all  the  sleeping  guards  awoke  and  came  running  to 
the  stall.  They  caught  Janko,  of  course,  and  when 
morning  broke  carried  him  to  their  master,  the 
king. 

He  questioned  Janko  as  the  others  had  done  and 
Janko  answered  him  simply: 

"  You  see  I  have  to  have  the  Golden  Horse,  O  king, 
to  exchange  it  for  the  Golden  Apple-Tree.  And  I 
have  to  have  the  Golden  Apple-Tree  to  exchange  it  for 
the  Magic  Grape-Vine  that  really  belongs  to  my 


90  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

father.  It  was  stolen  from  him  years  ago  and  ever 
since  then  his  left  eye  has  wept  over  the  loss  of  it. 
Give  me  the  Golden  Horse,  O  king,  for  if  you  don't 
give  him  to  me  I  shall  have  to  come  back  and  try  again 
to  steal  him." 

"  But,  Janko,"  the  king  said,  "  I  can't  give  you  the 
Golden  Horse  for  nothing!  But  I  tell  you  what  I'll 
do:  I  will  give  him  to  you  provided  you  get  for  me 
the  Golden  Maiden  who  has  never  seen  the  sun." 

With  that  Janko  was  dismissed  and  led  out  of  the 
stable. 

Janko  really  was  awfully  ashamed  this  time  when 
he  had  again  to  confess  to  the  Little  Fox  that  he  had 
forgotten  her  warning  and  had  touched  the  golden 
bridle. 

"Janko!  Janko!"  the  Little  Fox  said.  "Where 
are  your  wits !  Now  what  shall  we  do  ?  " 

Then  Janko  told  the  Little  Fox  of  the  king's  offer: 

"  He  will  give  me  the  Golden  Horse  provided  I  get 
for  him  the  Golden  Maiden  who  has  never  seen  the  sun. 
Dear  Little  Fox,  will  you  help  me  this  one  time  more? 
I  know  I  am  very  stupid  but  I  promise  you  faithfully 
that  this  time  I  will  not  forget." 

"  Of  course,  brother,"  the  Little  Fox  said,  "  I'll  help 
you  again.  But  this  will  have  to  be  the  last  time.  If 


THE  LITTLE  LAME  FOX  91 

you  forget  this  time  I  won't  be  able  to  help  you  any 
more.  Take  hold  of  my  tail  and  away  we'll  go." 

So  for  the  fourth  time  Janko  took  hold  of  the  Lit- 
tle Fox's  tail  and  away  they  went.  They  went  and 
they  went — I  can't  tell  you  how  far!  But  they 
weren't  tired  when  they  arrived,  they  weren't  even 
breathless. 

"  Now,  brother,"  the  Little  Fox  said,  "  listen  care- 
fully to  what  I  tell  you.  Here  we  are  in  another  king- 
dom close  to  a  great  cavern  where  for  sixteen  years  the 
Golden  Maiden  has  been  kept  a  prisoner  under  the  en- 
chantment of  her  wicked  mother  and  never  allowed  to 
see  the  golden  light  of  the  sun.  There  are  forty-eight 
chambers  in  the  cavern  and  each  chamber  is  guarded 
by  a  watch  of  twelve  guards.  Steal  softly  through  each 
chamber  when  the  eyes  of  all  the  guards  are  wide  open 
and  staring  straight  at  you.  In  the  last  chamber  of  all 
you  will  find  the  Golden  Maiden  playing  in  her  Golden 
Cradle.  Over  the  Cradle  stands  a  fearful  ghost  who 
will  cry  out  to  you  to  go  away  and  threaten  to  kill 
you.  But  don't  be  afraid.  It  is  only  an  empty  ghost 
which  the  wicked  mother  has  placed  there  to  frighten 
men  off  from  rescuing  the  Golden  Maiden.  Take  the 
Golden  Maiden  by  the  hand,  put  the  Golden  Cradle  on 
your  shoulder,  and  hurry  back  to  me.  But  one  thing: 


92  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

As  you  leave  each  chamber  be  sure  to  lock  the  door 
after  you  so  that  the  guards  when  they  wake  cannot 
follow  you." 

Janko  crept  into  the  cavern  and  cautiously  made  his 
way  from  chamber  to  chamber  through  the  wide-eyed 
guards.  In  the  forty-eighth  chamber  he  found>  the 
Golden  Maiden  playing  in  her  Golden  Cradle.  He  ran 
to  take  her  when  a  horrible  creature  rose  above  the 
Cradle  and  in  hollow  tones  cried:  "Back!  Back! 
Back!  "  For  a  moment  Janko  was  frightened,  then 
he  remembered  that  the  awful  creature  was  only  an 
empty  ghost.  So  he  went  boldly  up  to  the  Golden 
Cradle  and  sure  enough  the  ghost  faded  away. 

"  You  have  come  to  rescue  me,  haven't  you? "  the 
Golden  Maiden  cried. 

She  gave  Janko  her  hand  and  he  helped  her  to  her 
feet.  Then  he  put  the  Golden  Cradle  on  his  shoulder 
and  together  they  hurried  out  from  chamber  to  cham- 
ber. And  I  am  happy  to  tell  you  that  this  time  Janko 
remembered  the  Little  Fox's  warning  and  locked  the 
door  of  every  chamber  as  they  left  it.  So  they  reached 
the  upper  world  safely  and  found  the  Little  Fox  wait- 
ing for  them. 

"  There's  no  time  to  lose,"  the  Little  Fox  said.  "  Put 
the  Cradle  across  my  back,  Janko,  and  take  hold  of  my 


THE  LITTLE  LAME  FOX  93 

tail  with  one  hand  and  give  your  other  hand  to  the 
Golden  Maiden  and  away  we'll  go." 

Janko  did  as  the  Little  Fox  said  and  away  they 
all  three  went. 

When  they  reached  the  stable  of  the  Golden  Horse, 
the  Little  Fox  said: 

"  It  doesn't  seem  right  to  give  the  Golden  Maiden  to 
the  king  of  the  Golden  Horse  unless  she  wants  us  to, 
does  it? " 

The  Golden  Maiden  at  once  begged  them  to  keep  her. 

"  Don't  give  me  to  the  king  of  the  Golden  Horse! " 
she  said.  "  I  want  to  stay  with  Janko  who  has  rescued 
me!" 

"  But  unless  I  give  up  the  Golden  Maiden,"  Janko 
asked,  "  how  can  I  get  the  Golden  Horse? " 

"  Perhaps  I  can  help  you,"  the  Little  Fox  said. 
"  Perhaps  I  can  enchant  myself  into  looking  like  the 
Golden  Maiden." 

With  that  the  Little  Fox  leaped  up  in  the  air,  turned 
this  way  and  that,  and  lo !  you  might  have  thought  her 
the  Golden  Maiden  except  that  her  eyes  were  still  fox's 
eyes. 

"  Now  leave  the  Maiden  outside  here  hidden  in  her 
Golden  Cradle  and  take  me  in  to  the  master  of  the 
stable.  Exchange  me  for  the  Golden  Horse  and  make 


94  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

off  at  once.  Then  pick  up  the  Golden  Maiden  in  her 
Golden  Cradle  and  ride  away  and  soon  I'll  join  you." 

Janko  did  this  very  thing.  He  took  in  the  fox  maiden 
and  exchanged  her  for  the  Golden  Horse  and  instantly 
rode  off  as  the  Little  Fox  had  told  him. 

The  king  of  the  stable  at  once  called  all  his  courtiers 
together  and  showed  them  the  fox  maiden. 

"  See,"  he  said,  "  this  is  the  Golden  Maiden  who  has 
never  seen  the  sun !  She  is  the  most  beautiful  maiden  in 
the  world  and  she  now  belongs  to  me !  " 

The  courtiers  looked  at  her  and  admired  her,  but  one 
of  them  a  little  keener  than  the  others  said : 

"  Yes,  she's  very  beautiful  and  all  that  but  look  at 
her  eyes.  They  don't  look  like  maiden's  eyes  but  like 
fox's  eyes! " 

Instantly  at  the  word  fox  the  false  maiden  turned  to 
to  a  fox  and  went  scampering  off. 

"  See  what  you've  done! "  cried  the  king  in  a  fury. 
*  You  have  changed  my  Golden  Maiden  into  a  fox  with 
your  nonsense!  You  shall  pay  for  this  with  your  life!  " 
And  he  had  him  executed  at  once. 

The  Little  Fox  meantime  had  caught  up  with  Janko 
and  the  Golden  Maiden  and  the  Golden  Horse.  As  they 
neared  the  garden  of  the  king  of  the  Golden  Apple-Tree 
the  Fox  said; 


THE  LITTLE  LAME  FOX  95 

"  It  would  be  a  pity  to  give  away  the  Golden  Horse. 
Rightly  it  belongs  to  the  Golden  Maiden  and  was  taken 
from  her  by  her  wicked  mother." 

"Don't  give  my  Golden  Horse  away!"  the  Golden 
Maiden  begged. 

"  But  how  else  can  I  get  the  Golden  Apple-Tree? " 
Janko  asked. 

"  Perhaps  I  can  help  you,"  the  Little  Fox  said. 
"  Perhaps  I  can  enchant  myself  into  looking  like  the 
Golden  Horse." 

With  that  the  Little  Fox  leaped  up  in  the  air,  turned 
this  way  and  that,  and  lo!  you  might  have  thought  her 
the  Golden  Horse  except  that  her  tail  was  still  a  fox's 
tail. 

When  they  reached  the  garden  of  the  Golden  Apple- 
Tree,  Janko  left  the  Golden  Horse  and  the  Golden 
Maiden  outside  and  took  the  fox  horse  in  to  the 
king. 

The  king  was  delighted  and  at  once  had  his  servants 
deliver  to  Janko  the  Golden  Apple-Tree. 

When  Janko  was  safely  gone,  the  king  called  all  his 
courtiers  together  and  showed  them  the  fox  horse. 

"See  my  Golden  Horse!"  he  said.  "Isn't  it  the 
most  beautiful  horse  in  the  world !  " 

"It  is!    It  is!  "they  all  told  him. 


96  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

But  one  courtier,  a  little  keener  than  the  rest,  re- 
marked : 

"What  a  curious  tail  for  a  horse  to  have!  It  looks 
like  a  fox's  tail!" 

At  the  word  focc  the  false  horse  changed  back  into  a 
fox  and  went  scampering  off. 

"  See  what  you've  done  with  your  nonsense!  "  cried 
the  king.  "  You  have  lost  me  my  Golden  Horse  and 
now  you  shall  lose  your  own  life!  "  And  he  ordered  the 
courtier  to  be  executed  at  once. 

The  Fox  soon  caught  up  with  the  real  Golden  Horse 
and  with  Janko  and  the  Golden  Maiden  who  were  hold- 
ing in  their  arms  the  Golden  Cradle  and  the  Golden 
Apple-Tree. 

"  It  will  never  do  to  give  up  the  Golden  Apple- 
Tree,"  the  Fox  said,  "  for  it,  too,  rightly  belongs  to 
the  Golden  Maiden.  I'll  have  to  see  again  if  I  can 
help  you." 

So  when  they  neared  the  garden  of  the  Magic  Grape- 
Vine,  the  Little  Fox  leaped  in  the  air,  turned  this  way 
and  that,  and  lo !  you  might  have  thought  her  the  Golden 
Apple-Tree  except  that  her  fruit  instead  of  being  round 
was  long  and  pointed  like  a  fox's  head. 

Janko  gave  the  king  the  fox  tree  and  received  in  re- 
turn the  Magic  Grape-Vine  that  really  belonged  to  his 


The  Golden  Maiden,  the  Farmer  and  the  Empty  Ghost 


THE  LITTLE  LAME  FOX  99 

father  and  not  to  the  king  at  all.  He  hurried  back  to 
the  Golden  Maiden  who  was  waiting  for  him  with  the 
Golden  Horse  and  the  Golden  Apple-Tree  and  the 
Golden  Cradle  and  off  they  all  went. 

The  king  was  delighted  with  his  fox  tree  and  called 
his  courtiers  to  come  and  admire  it. 

"Beautiful!  Beautiful!"  they  all  said,  and  one  of 
them  examining  the  fruit  carefully  remarked : 

"  But  see  these  apples !  They  are  not  round  like  ap- 
ples but  long  and  pointed  like  a  fox's  head!  " 

He  had  no  sooner  said  the  word  fox  than  the  tree 
turned  into  a  fox  and  went  scampering  off. 

"  See  what  you've  done  with  your  nonsense! "  cried 
the  king.  "  You  have  lost  me  my  Golden  Apple-Tree 
and  now  I  shall  lose  you  your  head!  "  And  he  ordered 
the  courtier  to  be  executed  at  once. 

When  the  Fox  caught  up  with  the  Golden  Horse,  she 
said  to  Janko : 

"  Now,  my  brother,  it  is  time  for  us  to  part.  You 
have  the  Magic  Grape- Vine  and  soon  your  father's  left 
eye  will  no  longer  weep.  Besides,  you  are  carrying 
home  the  Golden  Maiden  on  her  own  Golden  Horse 
and  with  her  Golden  Apple-Tree  and  her  Golden 
Cradle.  God  has  blessed  you  in  your  undertaking  and 
will  continue  to  bless  you  so  long  as  you  are  good  and 


100  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

kind.  Farewell  now  and  think  sometimes  of  your  sister, 
the  Little  Lame  Fox." 

Janko  wept  at  thought  of  parting  with  the  Little  Fox 
and  the  Little  Fox  promised  him  that  she  would  help 
him  again  if  ever  he  needed  her.  Then  she  turned  and 
trotted  off  into  the  woods  and  Janko  rode  homewards 
without  her. 

When  he  reached  the  crossroads  where  he  had  parted 
from  his  brothers  just  one  year  before  he  came  upon  a 
crowd  of  angry  farmers  belaboring  two  men  who  had 
been  robbing  their  barns.  Janko  found  that  the  two 
men  were  his  own  brothers  who  since  he  had  seen  them 
had  fallen  into  bad  company,  lost  all  their  money  at 
cards,  and  had  finally  taken  to  thieving.  Janko  paid 
the  farmers  for  the  damage  his  brothers  had  done  them 
and  took  his  brothers  home  with  him. 

You  can  imagine  the  old  farmer's  happiness  at  seeing 
all  three  of  his  sons  after  a  whole  year's  absence.  It  was 
even  greater  than  his  delight  at  getting  back  his  Magic 
Grape-Vine.  But  that  doesn't  mean  that  he  wasn't 
delighted  to  have  back  the  Grape-Vine.  At  the  first 
cup  of  wine  that  the  Vine  poured  him,  his  left  eye 
ceased  weeping  and  it  was  never  known  to  weep 
again. 

He  was  delighted,  too,  at  having  the  Golden  Maiden 


THE  LITTLE  LAME  FOX  101 

in  the  house  and  pleased  when  people  came  from  far 
and  near  to  see  the  Maiden's  Golden  Horse  and  Golden 
Apple-Tree  and  Golden  Cradle.  He  even  began  to 
hope  that  she  might  marry  one  of  his  sons  before  some 
prince  came  along  and  snatched  her  away.  He  thought 
the  Maiden  would  make  a  wonderful  bride  for  the  old- 
est. Unfortunately  Janko  had  not  told  him  what  re- 
probates the  two  older  sons  were,  and  the  older  brothers 
themselves  had  given  their  father  to  understand  that  it 
was  really  they  who  had  found  the  Magic  Grape- Vine 
and  rescued  the  Golden  Maiden.  You  see  instead  of 
being  grateful  to  Janko  for  having  saved  their  necks 
from  the  angry  farmers,  they  hated  him  worse  than 
ever. 

"  That  Booby!  "  the  older  brother  growled.  "Just 
because  he  took  the  left-hand  road  and  found  the  Magic 
Grape- Vine  he  thinks  himself  so  much  better  than  us! 
It  was  just  luck — that's  all  it  was!  Any  one  who  took 
the  left-hand  road  could  have  found  the  old  Grape- 
Vine!" 

"  And  do  you  notice  the  way  the  Golden  Maiden  al- 
ways smiles  on  him?  "  the  other  said.  "  The  first  thing 
we  know  she'll  be  marrying  him  and  giving  him  the 
Golden  Horse  and  the  Golden  Apple-Tree  and  the 
Golden  Cradle !  Then  where  will  we  be?  " 


102  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

"  Brother,"  whispered  the  first,  "  let  us  make  away 
with  him!" 

So  they  plotted  together  and  they  asked  Janko  to  go 
hunting  with  them  the  next  day.  Suspecting  nothing 
Janko  went.  When  they  came  to  a  deep  well  in  the 
woods  they  asked  Janko  to  reach  them  a  cup  of  water. 
As  he  stooped  over  into  the  well  they  pushed  him  all  the 
way  in  and  drowned  him.  That's  the  kind  of  brothers 
they  were!  Then  they  went  home  and  pretended  to 
be  surprised  that  Janko  hadn't  come  home  before 
them. 

He  didn't  come  that  night  or  the  next  day  either,  and 
the  Golden  Maiden  grew  sad  and  quiet,  the  Magic 
Grape-Vine  no  longer  poured  out  its  precious  wine  every 
hour,  the  Golden  Apple-Tree  stopped  putting  forth  its 
buds  and  blossoms  and  golden  fruit,  and  the  Golden 
Horse  languished  and  drooped  its  lovely  head. 

"Everything  goes  wrong  when  Janko  isn't  here!" 
the  farmer  said.  "  Where  can  he  be  ?" 

On  the  third  day  the  Golden  Maiden  suddenly  began 
to  laugh  and  sing,  the  Magic  Grape-Vine  again  poured 
forth  a  bucket  of  precious  wine  every  hour,  the  Golden 
Apple-Tree  put  out  buds  and  blossoms  and  golden 
fruit,  and  the  Golden  Horse  lifted  its  beautiful  head 
and  neighed  loud  and  happily.  And  do  you  know  why? 


THE  LITTLE  LAME  FOX  103 

Because  the  Little  Lame  Fox  had  just  rescued  Janko 
and  brought  him  back  to  life!  She  pulled  him  out  of 
the  well,  and  rolled  him  about  on  the  ground,  and  worked 
over  him  until  all  the  water  was  emptied  from  his  lungs 
and  he  was  able  to  breathe  again. 

Then  as  he  opened  his  eyes  the  Little  Fox  said : 

"  I  told  you,  brother,  I'd  come  again  if  you  needed  my 
help.  I  was  just  in  time  for  a  little  longer  and  I  could 
never  have  brought  you  back  to  life.  And  now,  brother, 
the  enchantment  that  held  me  is  broken  and  I  need  no 
longer  go  about  as  a  Little  Lame  Fox.  My  mother 
was  a  wicked  witch  and  she  enchanted  me  because  she 
was  angry  with  me  for  saving  a  man  whom  she  wanted 
to  kill.  So  she  turned  me  into  a  little  fox  and  she  said  I 
should  have  to  remain  a  fox  forever  unless  I  succeeded 
in  bringing  back  to  life  my  benefactor.  You  are  my 
benefactor,  Janko,  for  you  shared  your  bread  and  cheese 
with  me  the  first  time  we  met,  and  now  I  have  been  able 
to  bring  you  back  to  life." 

As  she  spoke  she  changed  into  a  lovely  maiden. 

"  Good-by,  Janko,"  she  said.  "  Go  home  now  and 
tell  your  father  how  your  evil  brothers  have  treated  you. 
Unless  you  do  this  they  will  plot  against  the  Golden 
Maiden  and  you  may  not  be  able  to  protect  her." 

So  Janko  and  the  maiden  kissed  each  other  as  a 


104  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

brother  and  sister  might  and  the  maiden  went  her  way 
and  Janko  returned  to  his  father's  house. 

The  Golden  Maiden  and  the  old  farmer  were  not  in 
the  least  surprised  to  see  him  for  things  were  so  happy 
again  that  they  just  knew  it  must  be  because  Janko  was 
coming  back.  But  his  two  brothers  when  they  caught 
sight  of  him  alive  and  well  were  so  frightened  that  they 
took  to  their  heels  and  ran  off  as  fast  as  they  could  go 
and  what's  more  they've  never  shown  themselves  since. 
And  good  riddance,  too,  I  say,  for  they  were  wicked 
evil  fellows  and  would  only  have  injured  Janko  further 
if  they  could. 

When  Janko  told  his  father  all  the  wicked  things  they 
had  done,  the  old  farmer  could  scarcely  believe  his  ears. 

"  And  to  think,"  he  said,  "  I  had  been  hoping  the 
Golden  Maiden  would  marry  one  of  them !  Mercy  me ! 
Mercy  me ! " 

"  But,  father,"  the  Golden  Maiden  said — she  called 
him  father  now  and  it  pleased  him  mightily;  "  father,  I 
should  rather  marry  Janko!  " 

"  Marry  Janko !  "  the  farmer  cried.  "  Why,  my  dear, 
Janko  is  a  stupid  lad,  not  nearly  so  clever  as  his  two 
brothers!" 

"  I  don't  care  if  he  is  stupid.  He's  got  a  good  heart 
and  that's  more  than  the  other  two  have.  And  besides 


THE  LITTLE  LAME  FOX  105 

that  he's  got  a  brave  heart  for  he  rescued  me  from  the 
dark  cavern  and  he  faced  the  awful  ghost  that  stood  over 
my  Golden  Cradle.  Why,  father,  I'd  rather  marry 
Janko  than  any  prince  in  the  world!  " 

You  can  imagine  Janko's  feelings  when  he  heard  this! 

"  I'd  feel  like  a  prince  if  you  did  marry  me,  dear 
Golden  One!  "  he  cried. 

Well,  she  did  marry  him,  and  sure  enough  he  did  feel 
like  a  prince.  What  prince,  I'd  like  to  know,  had  a  love- 
lier bride?  None!  And  was  there  any  prince  in  the 
world  whose  bride  brought  him  greater  riches  than  the 
Golden  Apple-Tree,  the  Golden  Horse,  and  Golden 
Cradle?  No,  not  one!  And  furthermore  the  farmer 
promised  that,  when  he  died,  he  would  leave  him  the 
Magic  Grape- Vine. 

So  Janko  lived  happy  and  prosperous.  And  it  all 
came  about  through  his  having  a  good  honest  heart. 


THE  ENCHANTED  PEAFOWL 


The  Story  of  the  Golden  Apples,  the  Wicked  Dragon, 
and  the  Magic  Horse 


THE  ENCHANTED  PEAFOWL 

Have  you  ever  heard  the  story  of  the,  Peafowl  who 
became  a  Queen  and  of  the  Tsar's  Youngest  Son  who 
married  her?  Well,  here  it  is: 

Y  •  ^HERE  was  once  a  Tsar  who  took  great  delight 
JL  in  his  garden.  Every  morning  you  could  see  him 
bending  over  his  flowers  or  picking  the  fruit  of  his  favor- 
ite tree.  This  was  an  apple-tree  that  had  the  magic 
property  of  bearing  buds,  blossoms,  and  golden  fruit 
every  twenty-four  hours.  It  was  known  as  the  golden 
apple-tree.  In  the  morning  the  first  thing  when  he  woke 
up  the  Tsar  would  look  out  his  bedroom  window  to  see 
that  all  was  well  with  his  beloved  tree. 

One  morning  when  as  usual  he  looked  out  he 
was  grieved  to  see  that  the  tree  had  been  stripped  of 
all  the  golden  fruit  which  had  ripened  during  the 
night. 

;<  Who  has  stolen  my  golden  apples?  "  he  cried. 

The  palace  guards  looked  everywhere  for  some  trace 
of  the  thief  but  found  nothing. 

The  next  morning  the  same  thing  had  happened  and 

109 


110  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

every  morning  thereafter  when  the  Tsar  looked  out  of 
his  bedroom  window  he  saw  that  the  tree  had  again  been 
stripped  of  its  golden  fruit. 

He  called  his  three  sons  to  him  and  said: 

"Is  it  seemly  that  a  Tsar  who  has  three  able-bodied 
sons  should  be  robbed  night  after  night  of  his  golden 
apples?  Are  you  willing  that  this  should  happen  and 
you  do  nothing  about  it? " 

The  eldest  son  who  was  a  braggart  said: 

"  My  father,  you  need  say  no  more.  I  myself  will 
watch  to-night  and  when  the  thief  appears  I  will  over- 
power him  and  bring  him  to  you." 

So  the  eldest  son  watched  that  night,  standing  on 
guard  under  the  apple-tree  and  leaning  against  its 
trunk. 

As  midnight  approached  his  eyes  grew  heavy  and  he 
fell  asleep.  While  he  slept  the  golden  apples  ripened 
and  were  stolen  and  the  next  morning,  as  usual,  the 
branches  were  bare. 

The  second  son  who  was  a  crafty  youth  laughed  at 
his  brother  and  said: 

"  To-night  I  will  watch.  I  will  pretend  to  be  asleep 
and  when  the  thief  appears  I  will  jump  upon  him  and 
overpower  him." 

So  when  night  came  the  second  son  went  on  guard 


THE  ENCHANTED  PEAFOWL        111 

under  the  tree  and  in  order  to  deceive  the  thief  he 
lay  down  on  the  ground  and  closed  his  eyes.  At  first 
he  stayed  wide  awake  but  as  the  hours  dragged  by  he 
grew  tired  and  then,  because  he  was  in  such  a  com- 
fortable position,  he  too  fell  soundly  asleep.  Midnight 
came  and  the  apples  ripened  but  the  next  morning, 
when  the  second  prince  awoke,  the  tree  had  again  been 
stripped  of  its  golden  fruit. 

The  Tsar's  Youngest  Son  now  said: 

"  Father,  let  me  go  on  guard  to-night." 

His  brothers  jeered  and  the  Tsar  shook  his  head. 

"  Nay,  nay,  my  boy,  why  should  you  succeed  where 
your  older  brothers  have  failed?  It  is  God's  will  that 
my  golden  apples  should  be  stolen  and  I  must  sub- 
mit." 

But  the  Youngest  Son  insisted  that  he,  too,  be  given 
a  chance  to  capture  the  thief  and  at  last  the  Tsar  con- 
sented. 

"  I  will  sleep  soundly  the  first  part  of  the  night," 
the  Youngest  Prince  thought  to  himself,  "  and  with 
God's  help  wake  up  at  midnight." 

As  soon  as  it  was  dark  he  had  his  bed  carried  out- 
doors and  placed  under  the  apple-tree.  Then  after 
commending  his  undertaking  to  God  he  lay  down  and 
fell  soundly  to  sleep.  Just  before  midnight  he  awoke. 


112  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

The  apples  had  ripened  and  were  shining  among  the 

leaves  like  golden  lanterns. 

On  the  stroke  of  midnight  there  was   a  whirr  of 

wings  and  nine  beautiful  peafowl  came  flying  down 

from  the  sky.     Eight  of  them  settled  on  the  branches 

of  the  apple-tree  and  began  eating  the  golden  fruit. 

The    ninth    alighted    beside    the    Young    Prince    and 

as   she   touched   the    ground    changed   into    a    lovely 

maiden. 

She  was  so  beautiful  and  gentle  that  the  Young 

Prince  fell  madly  in  love  with  her  and  at  once  began 

wooing  her  with  kisses  and  caresses.     She  responded 

to  his  love  and  they  spent  the  night  together  in  great 

happiness. 

At  the  first  streak  of  dawn  she  jumped  up,  saying: 

"  My  dear  one,  I  must  leave  you  now !  " 

"  But  you  will  come  again,  won't  you? "  the  Prince 

asked. 

"  Yes,"  she  promised  him.    "  To-night." 

Suddenly  the  Prince  remembered  the  golden  apples. 

The  peafowl  in  the  tree  were  about  to  eat  the  last  of 

them. 

"  Can't  you  make  them  leave  just  one  apple  for  my 

father?  "  the  Prince  begged. 

The  maiden  spok;e  to  the  birds  and  they  flew  down 


THE  ENCHANTED  PEAFOWL  113 

with  two  of  the  golden  apples,  one  for  the  Tsar  and 
one  for  the  Prince  himself. 

Then  the  maiden  lifted  her  arms  above  her  head, 
changed  into  a  peafowl,  and  with  the  other  eight  flew 
off  into  the  morning  sky. 

The  Prince  carried  the  two  apples  to  his  father  and 
the  Tsar  was  so  delighted  that  he  forgot  to  ask  the 
Prince  the  particulars  of  his  adventure. 

The  next  night  the  Prince  again  slept  under  the 
apple-tree  and  awoke  just  before  midnight  to  hear  the 
whirr  of  wings  and  see  the  nine  peafowl  come  flying 
down  from  the  sky.  Eight  of  them  settled  on  the 
branches  of  the  apple-tree  and  the  ninth,  as  before, 
alighted  beside  him  and  as  she  touched  the  earth  changed 
into  the  lovely  maiden  of  his  heart.  Again  they  passed 
the  night  together  in  great  happiness  and  in  the  early 
dawn  before  she  flew  away  the  maiden  gave  him  the 
last  two  of  the  golden  apples. 

This  went  on  night  after  night  until  the  Prince's  two 
elder  brothers  were  mad  with  jealousy  and  consumed 
with  curiosity  to  know  what  happened  every  night  under 
the  apple-tree.  At  last  they  went  to  an  evil  old  woman 
and  bribed  her  to  spy  on  the  Young  Prince. 

"  Find  out  what  happens  every  night  at  the  apple- 
tree,"  they  told  her,  "  and  we  will  reward  you  richly." 


THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

So  the  evil  old  woman  hid  herself  near  the  apple- 
tree  and  that  night  when  the  prince  fell  asleep  she 
crept  under  his  bed.  Midnight  came  and  she  heard 
the  whirr  of  wings  and  presently  she  saw  the  white 
feet  of  a  lovely  maiden  touch  the  ground  and  she  heard 
the  prince  say:  "  My  love,  is  it  you?  " 

Then  as  the  Prince  and  the  maiden  began  kissing 
each  other  and  exchanging  vows  of  love  very  slowly 
and  cautiously  she  reached  up  her  hand  from  under 
the  bed  and  groped  around  until  she  felt  the  maiden's 
hair.  Then  with  a  scissors  she  snipped  off  a  lock. 

"  Oh!  "  the  maiden  cried  in  terror.  She  jumped  up, 
lifted  her  arms  above  her  head,  changed  into  a  peafowl, 
and  without  another  word  flew  off  with  the  other  eight 
and  vanished  in  the  sky. 

In  a  fury  the  Prince  searched  about  to  see  what  had 
frightened  his  loved  one.  He  found  the  old  woman 
under  the  bed  and  dragging  her  out  by  the  hair  he 
struck  her  dead  with  his  sword.  And  good  riddance  it 
was,  too,  for  she  was  an  evil  old  thing  and  only  caused 
mischief  in  the  world. 

But  putting  the  evil  old  woman  out  of  the  way  did 
not,  alas,  bring  back  the  lovely  maiden.  The  Prince 
waited  for  her  the  next  night  and  the  next  and  many 
following  nights  but  she  nevermore  returned. 


THE  ENCHANTED  PEAFOWL       115 

The  magic  apple-tree  of  course  was  no  longer  robbed 
of  its  golden  fruit,  so  the  Tsar  was  happy  once  again 
and  never  tired  of  praising  the  valor  of  his  youngest 
son.  But  as  for  the  prince,  in  spite  of  his  father's  praise 
he  grew  sadder  and  sadder. 

Finally  he  went  to  the  Tsar  and  said: 

"  Father,  I  have  lost  the  maiden  whom  I  love 
and  life  without  her  is  not  worth  the  living.  Un- 
less I  go  out  in  the  world  and  find  her  I  shall 
die." 

The  Tsar  tried  to  dissuade  him  but  when  he  could 
not  he  mounted  him  on  a  fine  horse,  gave  him  a  serv- 
ing man  to  accompany  him,  and  sent  him  off  with  his 
blessing. 

The  Prince  and  his  man  wandered  hither  and  thither 
over  the  world  inquiring  everywhere  for  news  of  nine 
peafowl  one  of  whom  was  a  lovely  maiden.  They  came 
at  last  to  a  lake  on  the  shore  of  which  lived  an  ugly  old 
woman  with  an  only  daughter. 

"  Nine  peafowl,"  she  repeated,  "  and  one  of  them  a 
lovely  maiden!  You  must  mean  the  nine  sisters,  the 
enchanted  princesses,  who  fly  about  as  peafowl.  They 
come  here  every  morning  to  bathe  in  the  lake.  What 
can  you  want  with  them  ?  " 

The  Prince  told  the  old  woman  that  one  of  them 


116  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

was  his  love  and  that  unless  he  married  her  he  would 
die. 

"  Die,  indeed!  "  scoffed  the  old  woman.  "  That's  no 
way  for  a  handsome  young  man  to  talk!  I'll  tell  you 
what  you  ought  to  do :  give  up  thought  of  this  peafowl 
princess  and  marry  my  daughter.  Then  I'll  make  you 
heir  to  all  my  riches." 

She  called  out  her  daughter  who  was  as  ugly  as  her- 
self and  cross  and  ill-natured  in  the  bargain.  Just  one 
look  at  her  and  the  Prince  said  firmly : 

"  No!  If  I  can't  marry  my  own  dear  love  I  won't 
marry  any  one! " 

"Very  well!"  said  the  old  woman  shortly. 

When  the  Prince's  back  was  turned  she  called  the 
serving  man  aside  and  whispered: 

"  Will  you  do  what  I  tell  you  if  I  pay  you  well?  " 

The  serving  man  who  was  a  mean  greedy  fellow 
nodded  his  head  and  the  old  woman  handed  him  a  small 
bellows. 

"  Hide  this  in  your  shirt,"  she  told  him,  "  and  don't 
let  your  master  see  it.  Then  to-morrow  morning  when 
you  go  down  to  the  lake  with  him  to  see  the  nine  pea- 
fowl slip  it  out  and  blow  it  on  the  back  of  his  neck. 
Do  this  and  I'll  give  you  a  golden  ducat." 

The  serving  man  took  the  bellows  and  did  as  the  old 


THE  ENCHANTED  PEAFOWL       117 

woman  directed.  The  next  morning  down  at  the  lake 
just  as  the  nine  peafowl  came  flying  into  sight  he  crept 
up  behind  the  Prince  and  blew  the  bellows  on  the  back 
of  his  neck.  Instantly  sleep  overcame  the  Prince.  His 
eyes  closed,  his  head  drooped,  and  the  reins  fell  from 
his  hands. 

Eight  of  the  peafowl  alighted  on  the  water's  edge, 
changed  into  lovely  maidens  and  went  bathing  in  the 
lake,  but  the  ninth  flew  straight  down  to  the  Prince, 
fluttered  her  wings  in  his  face  and  uttering  sad  cries 
tried  hard  to  arouse  him. 

The  eight  finished  their  baths,  changed  back  into 
birds,  and  calling  their  sister  they  all  flew  off  together. 
Then  and  not  till  then  did  the  Prince  awaken. 

"Ah!"  he  cried,  "how  could  I  have  fallen  asleep 
just  when  the  peafowl  appeared?  Where  are  they  now? 
Are  they  gone?  " 

'  Yes,"  his  man  told  him,  "  they're  gone.  Eight  of 
them  changed  into  lovely  maidens  and  went  bathing 
in  the  lake  but  the  ninth  fluttered  about  your  head  and 
tried  in  every  way  to  arouse  you.  I  tried  to  arouse  you, 
too,  but  you  kept  on  sleeping." 

"Strange!"  thought  the  Prince.  "How  could  I 
have  fallen  asleep  at  such  a  time?  I'll  have  to  try  again 
to-morrow  morning." 


118  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

The  next  morning  the  same  thing  happened.  The 
treacherous  serving  man  again  blew  the  bellows  on  the 
back  of  the  Prince's  neck  and  instantly  the  Prince  sank 
into  a  deep  sleep  from  which  the  ninth  peafowl  was 
unable  to  arouse  him. 

As  she  rose  to  join  her  sisters  she  said  to  the  serv- 
ing man: 

"  When  your  master  awakens  tell  him  that  to-morrow 
is  the  last  day  we  shall  come  here  to  bathe  in  the  lake." 

The  peafowl  were  no  sooner  gone  than  the  Prince 
rubbed  his  eyes  and  looked  about. 

"What!  Where  are  they?  Have  I  been  asleep 
again? " 

The  serving  man  pretended  to  be  deeply  grieved. 

"  I  tried  hard  to  awaken  you,  master,  but  I  couldn't. 
The  ninth  peafowl  as  she  flew  away  said  to  tell  you 
that  to-morrow  is  the  last  day  they'll  come  to  the 
lake." 

The  next  day  as  the  Prince  waited  for  the  appear- 
ance of  the  nine  peafowl  he  galloped  madly  along  the 
shore  of  the  lake  hoping  in  this  way  to  ward  off  the 
strange  sleep.  But  the  moment  the  nine  peafowl  ap- 
peared in  the  sky  he  was  so  delighted  that  he  drew  rein 
and  the  treacherous  serving  man  was  able  to  slip  up 
behind  him  and  blow  the  magic  bellows  on  his  neck. 


THE  ENCHANTED  PEAFOWL        119 

So  again  he  slept  soundly  while  the  ninth  peafowl 
fluttered  about  his  head  and  tried  vainly  to  arouse 
him. 

As  she  was  flying  away  she  said  to  the  serving  man: 

"  Tell  your  master  that  now  he  will  never  find  me 
unless  he  strikes  off  the  head  from  the  nail." 

When  the  Prince  awoke  the  serving  man  delivered 
this  message. 

;<  What  can  she  mean? "  the  Prince  said. 

He  looked  hard  at  the  serving  man  and  something 
in  the  fellow's  appearance  made  him  suspect  treachery. 

"  You  know  more  than  you're  telling  me !  "  the  Prince 
cried,  and  taking  the  cowardly  fellow  by  the  throat  he 
shook  him  and  choked  him  until  he  had  got  the  truth 
out  of  him. 

"  Ha!  "  cried  the  Prince.  "  Now  I  understand!  You 
are  the  nail  of  which  my  dear  love  warns  me! " 

The  fellow  whined  and  begged  for  mercy  but  the 
Prince  with  one  blow  of  his  sword  struck  off  his  head. 
Then,  leaving  the  body  where  it  fell  for  the  old  woman 
to  bury,  he  mounted  his  horse  and  again  set  forth  on 
his  quest. 

Everywhere  he  went  he  made  inquiries  about  the  nine 
enchanted  peafowl  and  everywhere  people  shook  their 
heads  and  said  they  had  never  heard  of  them.  At  last 


120  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

high  up  in  a  wild  mountain  he  found  an  old  hermit  who 
knew  all  about  them. 

"  Ah,"  he  said,  "  you  mean  the  nine  princesses.  Eight 
of  them  have  broken  the  enchantment  that  held  them 
and  are  now  happily  married.  The  ninth  awaits  you. 
She  is  living  in  the  royal  palace  of  a  beautiful  city  that 
lies  three  days'  journey  to  the  north  of  this  mountain. 
When  you  find  her,  if  you  do  just  as  she  says  she,  too, 
will  soon  be  free  of  all  enchantment.  Then  she  will 
be  made  queen." 

The  Prince  thanked  the  hermit  and  rode  on.  After 
three  days  he  came  to  the  city  of  which  the  hermit  had 
told  him.  He  made  his  way  to  the  palace  and  into  the 
Princess's  presence.  Sure  enough  the  Princess  was  his 
own  dear  love.  She  received  him  with  Joy,  promised 
soon  to  marry  him,  and  gave  over  to  him  the  keys  of 
the  palace. 

"  You  shall  now  be  master  here,"  she  told  him,  "  to 
go  where  you  like  and  do  as  you  like.  There  is  only 
one  thing  that  you  must  not  do,  only  one  place  where 
you  must  not  go.  Under  the  palace  are  twelve  cellars. 
Here  are  the  keys  to  them  all.  Go  into  eleven  of  them 
whenever  you  will  but  you  must  never  open  the  door 
of  the  twelfth  one.  If  you  do  a  heavy  misfortune  may 
fall  upon  both  of  us." 


THE  ENCHANTED  PEAFOWL       121 

One  day  while  the  Princess  was  walking  in  the  gar- 
den, the  young  Prince  thought  he  would  go  through 
the  cellars.  So,  taking  the  keys,  he  unlocked  the  cellars 
one  after  another  until  he  had  seen  eleven  of  them. 
Then  he  stood  before  the  door  of  the  twelfth  won- 
dering why  the  Princess  had  warned  him  not  to 
open  it. 

"  I'll  open  it  just  a  little,"  he  thought  to  himself.  "  If 
there's  something  inside  that  tries  to  get  out,  I'll  close 
it  quickly." 

So  he  took  the  twelfth  key,  unlocked  the  twelfth  door, 
and  peeped  inside  the  twelfth  cellar.  It  was  empty  ex- 
cept for  one  huge  cask  with  an  open  bunghole. 

"  I  don't  see  anything  in  here  to  be  afraid  of,"  he 
said. 

Just  then  he  heard  a  groan  from  inside  the  cask  and 
a  voice  called  out  in  a  begging,  whining  tone : 

"  A  cup  of  water,  brother !  A  cup  of  water !  I  am 
dying  of  thirst !  " 

Now  the  Prince  thought  to  himself  that  it  was  a  ter- 
rible thing  for  any  living  creature  to  be  dying  of  thirst. 
So  he  hurried  out,  got  a  cup  of  water,  and  poured  it 
into  the  open  bunghole.  Instantly  one  of  the  three  iron 
hoops  that  bound  the  cask  burst  asunder  and  the  voice 
inside  the  cask  said: 


122  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

"  Thank  you,  brother!  Thank  you!  Now  give  me 
another  cup!  I  am  dying  of  thirst!  " 

So  the  Prince  poured  in  a  second  cup  and  the  second 
iron  hoop  snapped  apart  and  when  the  voice  still  begged 
for  more  water  he  poured  in  a  third  cup.  The  third 
hoop  broke,  the  staves  of  the  cask  fell  in,  and  a  horrid 
dragon  sprang  out.  Before  the  Prince  could  move,  he 
had  flown  through  the  door  of  the  twelfth  cellar  into 
the  eleventh  cellar,  then  into  the  tenth  cellar,  the  ninth 
cellar,  the  eight  cellar,  the  seventh  cellar,  the  sixth,  the 
fifth,  the  fourth,  the  third,  the  second,  the  first,  and  so 
out  into  the  garden.  The  Prince  reached  the  garden 
just  in  time  to  see  the  monster  overpower  the  Prin- 
cess. 

"  Alas,  my  dear  one,  what  have  you  done?  "  cried  the 
poor  Princess  as  the  dragon  carried  her  off.  "  The  en- 
chantment would  soon  have  been  broken  and  I  could 
have  married  you  if  only  you  had  not  gone  into  the 
twelfth  cellar!" 

Heartbroken  at  what  had  happened,  the  Prince 
mounted  his  horse  and  started  off  in  pursuit  of  the 
dragon. 

"  I  must  do  what  I  can  to  rescue  my  loved  one,"  he 
said,  "  even  if  it  costs  me  my  life." 

He  rode  many  days  until  he  came  to  the  castle  of 


THE  ENCHANTED  PEAFOWL       123 

the  dragon.  The  dragon  was  out  and  the  Princess  re- 
ceived him  with  tears  of  joy. 

"  Come,"  he  said  to  her,  "  let  us  escape  before  the 
dragon  returns." 

The  Princess  sighed  and  shook  her  head. 

"  How,  my  loved  one,  can  we  escape  ?  The  dragon 
rides  a  magic  horse  and  however  fast  we  go  he  will  be 
able  to  overtake  us." 

But  the  Prince  insisted  that  they  make  the  attempt. 
So  she  mounted  with  him  and  off  they  went. 

When  the  dragon  arrived  home  and  found  her 
gone,  he  laughed  a  brutal  laugh  and  said  to  his 
horse : 

"  I  suppose  that  foolish  young  Prince  has  been  here 
and  is  trying  to  carry  her  off.  Shall  we  start  after  them 
now  or  wait  till  we've  had  our  supper?  " 

''  We  might  as  well  eat,"  the  horse  said,  "  for  we'll 
overtake  them  anyway." 

So  they  both  ate  and  then  the  dragon  mounted  the 
magic  horse  and  in  no  time  at  all  they  had  overtaken 
the  fugitives. 

"  I  ought  to  tear  you  to  pieces,"  the  dragon  said  to 
the  Prince,  "  but  I  won't  this  time  because  you  gave 
me  a  cup  of  water.  However,  I  warn  you  not  to  try 
this  foolishness  again!" 


124  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

With  that  he  clutched  the  poor  weeping  Princess  in 
his  scaly  arms  and  carried  her  back  to  the  castle. 

What  was  the  Prince  to  do  now?  He  tried  to  plan 
some  other  way  of  rescuing  the  Princess  but  he  could 
think  of  none.  In  spite  of  the  dragon's  threat  he  went 
back  the  next  day  and  tried  the  same  thing  again. 
Again  the  dragon  overtook  him  and  snatched  back  the 
Princess. 

"  I  have  spared  you  one  time,"  he  said  to  the  Prince, 
"  and  I  will  spare  you  this  one  time  more  for  the  sake 
of  the  water  you  gave  me.  But  I  warn  you  if  you  come 
again  I  will  tear  you  to  pieces." 

But  what  man  worthy  the  name  will  accept  such  a 
warning  when  the  safety  and  happiness  of  his  loved 
one  is  concerned?  The  next  day  while  the  dragon  was 
out  the  Prince  again  returned  to  the  castle. 

"  It  is  plain,"  he  said  to  the  Princess,  "  that  we  can 
never  escape  until  we,  too,  get  a  magic  horse.  We  must 
find  out  where  the  dragon  got  his.  To-night  when  he 
comes  home,  speak  him  fair  and  caress  his  head  and 
when  he  is  in  fine  humor  ask  him  about  his  horse — what 
kind  of  a  horse  it  is  and  where  he  got  it.  Then  I  will 
come  back  to-morrow  at  this  same  hour  and  you  can 
tell  me." 

So  that  night  when  the  dragon  came  home  the  Prin- 


THE  ENCHANTED  PEAFOWL       125 

cess  allowed  him  to  put  his  head  in  her  lap  and  she 
scratched  him  softly  behind  the  ears  and  petted  him 
until  he  was  purring  like  a  giant  cat. 

"Urrh!  Urrh!  Urrh !"  purred  the  dragon.  "How 
happy  we  are  here,  just  you  and  I!  What  a  foolish 
young  man  that  Prince  of  yours  is  to  think  I'd  let  him 
carry  you  off!  Urrh!  Urrh!  Urrh!" 

"  Yes,"  the  Princess  agreed,  "  he  is  foolish  or  he 
would  never  suppose  his  horse  could  outrace  yours." 

"  Urrh !  Urrh !  "  the  dragon  purred.  "  You're  right! 
He  seems  to  think  my  horse  is  an  ordinary  horse.  Why, 
I  got  my  horse  from  the  Old  Woman  of  the  Mountain 
and  the  only  other  horse  in  the  world  that  can  out- 
strip him  is  another  horse  that  the  Old  Woman  still 
has.  The  Prince  would  have  a  hard  time  getting 
him!" 

The  Princess  still  scratching  the  dragon  behind  his 
ears,  just  where  he  loved  it  most,  asked  softly: 

"Why?" 

"Urrh!  Urrh!  Urrh!  Because  the  Old  Woman 
will  never  give  that  horse  away  until  a  man  comes  along 
who  is  able  to  guard  for  three  nights  in  succession  the 
Old  Woman's  mare  and  foal.  Any  one  who  attempts 
this  and  fails  she  kills.  But  even  if  a  man  were  to  suc- 
ceed he  would  never  get  the  right  horse  for  the  old 


126  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

witch  would  palm  off  another  on  him.  Urrh!  Urrh! 
Urrh!  Oh,  that  feels  good,  my  dear!  " 

"  How  would  she  do  that?  "  the  Princess  asked. 

"Urrh!  Urrh!  Urrh!  You  see  she  says  to  every 
man  who  undertakes  to  guard  the  mare:  '  If  you  suc- 
ceed you  may  have  any  horse  in  my  stable.'  Then  she 
shows  him  twelve  beautiful  stallions  with  shiny  coats, 
but  she  doesn't  show  him  a  scrawny  miserable  looking 
beast  that  lies  neglected  on  the  dung  heap.  Yet  this 
is  the  magic  horse  and  brother  to  mine." 

Now  the  Princess  knew  all  she  needed  to  know  and 
the  next  day  when  the  Prince  came  she  told  him  what 
the  dragon  had  said.  So  the  Prince  at  once  set  out  to 
find  the  Old  Woman  of  the  Mountain. 

He  traveled  three  days  over  waste  places  and  through 
strange  lands.  On  the  first  day  as  he  was  riding  along 
the  shores  of  a  lake  he  heard  a  little  voice  crying  out : 

"Help  me,  brother,  help  me  and — who  knows? — 
some  day  I  may  help  you!  " 

The  Prince  looked  down  and  saw  a  fish  that  was 
floundering  on  the  sand.  He  dismounted  to  get  the 
fish  and  throw  it  back  into  the  water. 

"  Take  one  of  my  scales,"  the  fish  said.  "  Then  if 
ever  you  need  my  help  just  rub  the  scale." 

So  the  Prince,  before  he  threw  the  fish  into  the  lake, 


THE  ENCHANTED  PEAFOWL       127 

scraped  off  a  scale  and  tied  it  in  a  corner  of  his  hand- 
kerchief. Then  he  rode  on. 

The  second  day  a  fox  that  had  been  caught  in  a  trap 
called  out  to  him: 

"  Help  me,  brother,  help  me  and — who  knows? — 
some  day  I  may  help  you! " 

The  Prince  opened  the  trap  and  the  fox,  before  it 
limped  away,  gave  the  Prince  one  of  its  hairs  and  said: 

"  If  ever  you  need  me,  rub  this  hair." 

The  third  day  he  met  a  raven  that  had  fallen  on 
a  thorn  and  was  pinned  to  the  ground. 

"Help  me,  brother,  help  me!"  the  raven  begged, 
"  and — who  knows  ? — some  day  I  may  help  you !  " 

The  Prince  lifted  the  raven  off  the  thorn  and  the 
raven,  before  it  flew  away,  gave  the  Prince  one  of  its 
feathers  saying: 

"  If  ever  you  need  me,  rub  this  feather." 

So  the  Prince  reached  the  house  of  the  Old  Woman 
of  the  Mountain  with  the  fish's  scale,  the  fox's  hair, 
and  the  raven's  feather  each  safely  tied  in  a  corner  of 
his  handkerchief. 

The  Old  Woman  of  the  Mountain  was  an  ugly  old 
witch  with  a  long  nose  that  hooked  down  and  a  long 
chin  that  hooked  up. 

"Ha!    Ha! "  she  cackled  when  she  saw  the  Prince. 


128  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

"  Another  one  that  wants  service  with  the  Old  Woman, 
eh?" 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Prince. 

"You  know  the  conditions?"  the  Old  Woman  said. 
"  Guard  my  mare  and  her  foal  for  three  nights  in  suc- 
cession and  you  may  have  any  horse  in  my  stable.  But 
if  she  escapes  you,  then  your  head  is  mine  and  I'll  stick 
it  up  there  as  a  warning  to  other  rash  young  men." 

The  Old  Woman  pointed  to  a  high  picket  fence  that 
surrounded  the  courtyard.  On  every  picket  but  one 
there  was  a  grinning  human  skull.  The  Prince  looked 
and  the  only  picket  that  had  no  skull  called  out: 

"  I  want  my  skull,  granny!    I  want  my  skull!  " 

The  Old  Woman  gave  a  wicked  laugh. 
c  You  see,"  she  said,  "  we  were  expecting  you! " 

When  night  fell  the  Prince  led  out  the  mare  and 
her  foal  to  a  grassy  meadow.  To  make  sure  that  she 
would  not  escape  him,  he  mounted  her.  Midnight  came 
and  he  must  have  fallen  asleep  for  suddenly  he  awoke 
to  find  himself  astride  a  rail  with  an  empty  bridle  in  his 
hand.  In  despair  he  looked  in  all  directions.  At  one 
end  of  the  meadow  was  a  pond. 

"  She  may  have  gone  there  to  drink,"  he  said  to  him- 
self. 

At  the  pond  he  saw  a  hoofprint. 


The  Old  Woman  of  the  Mountain  and  the  Wonder  Horse 


THE  ENCHANTED  PEAFOWL       131 

"  Ah,"  he  thought,  "  if  my  fish  were  here,  it  could 
tell  me." 

He  untied  the  corner  of  the  hankerchief  that  had  the 
fish  scale,  rubbed  the  scale  gently,  and  at  once  a  little 
voice  called  out  from  the  water: 

"  What  is  it,  brother?    Can  I  help  you? " 

"  Can  you  tell  me  what  has  become  of  the  Old 
Woman's  mare  and  foal?  " 

"Aye,  brother,  that  I  can!  She  and  the  foal  are 
turned  into  fish  and  are  down  here  in  the  water  hiding 
amongst  us.  Strike  the  water  three  times  with  the 
bridle  and  say :  *  Mare  of  the  Old  Woman,  come  out ! ' 
That  will  bring  her!" 

The  Prince  did  this.  There  was  a  commotion  in 
the  water,  a  big  fish  and  a  little  fish  leaped  high  in  the 
air,  fell  on  shore,  and  instantly  changed  to  mare  and 
foal.  When  morning  came  the  Prince  drove  them  back 
to  the  Old  Woman. 

She  grinned  and  pretended  to  be  pleased  but,  when 
she  had  the  mare  alone  in  the  stable,  the  Prince  heard 
her  beating  the  poor  creature  and  saying: 

"  Why  didn't  you  do  as  I  told  you  and  hide  among 
the  fishes?" 

"  I  did,"  whinnied  the  mare,  "  but  the  fishes  are  his 
friends  and  he  found  me! " 


132  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

"  To-night,"  the  Old  Woman  snarled,  "  hide  among 
the  foxes  and  this  time  don't  let  him  find  you!  Do  you 
hear  me?  The  foxes!" 

The  Prince  remembered  this  and  the  second  night 
when  he  awoke  to  find  himself  again  sitting  astride  a 
rail  and  holding  an  empty  bridle  in  his  hand,  he  untied 
the  second  corner  of  his  handkerchief,  took  out  the 
fox's  hair,  and  rubbed  it  gently. 

Instantly  he  heard  a  little  bark  and  the  fox's  voice 
said: 

"  What  is  it,  brother?    Can  I  help  you?  " 

"  Can  you  tell  me,"  the  Prince  asked,  "  what  has 
become  of  the  Old  Woman's  mare  and  foal? " 

"  Aye,  brother,  that  I  can !  She  and  the  foal  are 
turned  into  foxes  and  are  over  in  yonder  woods  now 
hiding  among  my  people.  Strike  the  earth  three  times 
with  the  bridle  and  say :  '  Mare  of  the  Old  Woman, 
come  back!'  That  will  bring  her!" 

The  Prince  did  this  and  instantly  two  foxes,  a  vixen 
and  a  cub,  came  trotting  out  of  the  woods  and  when 
they  reached  the  Prince  they  changed  back  to  mare 
and  foal. 

In  the  morning  the  Prince  drove  them  home  to  the 
Old  Woman.  As  before  she  grinned  and  pretended 
to  be  pleased  but  when  she  had  the  mare  alone  in  the 


THE  ENCHANTED  PEAFOWL       133 

stable  the  Prince  heard  her  giving  the  poor  creature 
another  beating  and  saying: 

"  Why  didn't  you  do  as  I  told  you  and  hide  among 
the  foxes?" 

"  I  did,"  whinnied  the  mare,  "  but  the  foxes  are  his 
friends,  too,  and  he  found  me!  " 

"  To-night,"  the  Old  Woman  ordered,  "  hide  among 
the  ravens  and  this  time  don't  let  him  find  you!  " 

The  third  night  the  Prince  tried  hard  to  stay  awake 
but  sleep  again  overcame  him  and  when  he  woke  he 
found  himself  for  the  third  time  sitting  astride  a  rail 
and  holding  the  empty  bridle  in  his  hand.  But  he 
remembered  the  Old  Woman's  words  and  at  once 
opened  the  third  corner  of  his  handkerchief  and  taking 
out  the  raven's  feather  rubbed  it  gently. 

There  was  a  flutter  of  wings  and  a  raven's  hoarse 
voice  said: 

"Caw!  Caw!  What  is  it,  brother?  Can  I  help 
you?" 

"  Can  you  tell  me  what  has  become  of  the  Old 
Woman's  mare  and  foal?  " 

"Aye,  brother,  that  I  can!  She  and  the  foal  are 
turned  into  ravens  and  are  perched  in  yonder  tall  fir 
tree  hiding  among  my  folk.  Strike  the  trunk  of  the 
tree  three  times  with  your  bridle  and  say:  'Mare  of 


134  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

the  Old  Woman,  come  down!'  That  will  bring 
her!" 

The  Prince  went  over  to  the  fir  tree,  struck  it  three 
times  with  the  bridle  and  said: 

"  Mare  of  the  Old  Woman,  come  down! " 

Instantly  two  ravens,  a  big  one  and  a  fledgling,  flut- 
tered to  earth  and  changed  to  mare  and  foal.  So  when 
morning  came  the  Prince  was  able  to  drive  them  back 
to  the  Old  Woman  and  claim  his  reward. 

The  Old  Woman  was  angry  enough  to  kill  him  but 
she  pretended  to  be  pleased  and  she  smiled  and  grinned 
and  she  patted  the  Prince  on  the  arm  and  said : 

"  Aye,  my  son,  but  you  are  a  hero !  You  have  won 
the  reward  and  you  are  worthy  of  it.  Choose  now  the 
finest  horse  in  my  stable.  It  is  yours." 

She  drove  the  twelve  handsome  stallions  out  into  the 
courtyard  and  urged  them  on  the  Prince  one  after  the 
other.  But  at  each  the  Prince  shook  his  head. 

"  I  am  only  a  poor  adventurer,"  he  said.  "  Such 
horses  as  these  are  too  fine  for  me.  Give  me  rather 
that  poor  mangy  creature  that  lies  over  yonder  on  the 
dung  heap.  That  is  the  one  I  choose." 

Then  the  Old  Woman  fell  into  an  awful  rage  and 
shook  and  chattered  and  begged  the  Prince  not  to  take 
that  horse. 


THE  ENCHANTED  PEAFOWL       135 

"  It  would  shame  me,"  she  said,  "  to  have  you  ride 
off  on  that  poor  beast  which  is  half  dead  already!  No, 
no,  my  son,  you  mustn't  take  him! " 

"  But  that's  the  one  I'm  going  to  take,"  the  Prince 
said  firmly,  "that  and  none  other!"  He  drew  his 
sword  and  lifted  it  threateningly.  "  I  have  won  what- 
ever horse  I  choose  and  now,  Old  Woman,  if  you  do 
not  keep  your  bargain  I  shall  strike  you  dead  with  this 
sword  and  stick  up  your  grinning  skull  on  that  empty 
picket!" 

At  that  the  empty  picket  began  to  shout : 

"  I  want  my  skull!    I  want  my  skull!  " 

When  the  Old  Woman  of  the  Mountain  saw  that  the 
Prince  knew  what  he  was  about,  she  gave  up  trying 
to  deceive  him  and  let  him  lead  off  the  horse  he  wanted. 
So  the  Prince  walked  away  dragging  the  poor  mangy 
creature  after  him.  When  he  was  out  of  sight  of  the 
Old  Woman's  house,  he  turned  to  the  horse  and  began 
rubbing  down  his  rough  coat  and  patting  his  wobbly 
legs. 

"  Now,  my  beauty,"  he  said,  "  we'll  see  what  you're 
made  of! " 

Under  his  hand  the  mangy  beast  changed  to  a  glor- 
ious animal — one  of  those  wonder  horses  of  the  olden 
days  that  rise  on  the  wind  and  gallop  with  the  clouds. 


136  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

Soon  his  coat  shone  like  burnished  gold  and  his  tail 
and  mane  streamed  out  like  flames  of  fire. 

"  Ah,  my  master,"  the  horse  said,  "  I  have  been  wait- 
ing for  you  this  many  a  day!  We  shall  have  glorious 
adventures  together!" 

Then  the  Prince  mounted  him  and  he  rose  on  the 
wind  and  went  so  swiftly  that  he  covered  in  three  min- 
utes all  the  distance  that  it  had  taken  the  Prince  three 
days  to  go  on  an  ordinary  horse.  Whiff!  and  there 
they  were  at  the  dragon's  castle  and  there  was  the 
Princess  running  out  to  welcome  them. 

"  Now,  my  dear  one,"  the  Prince  said,  lifting  the 
Princess  up  in  front  of  him,  "  this  time  the  dragon 
will  not  overtake  us !  " 

The  wonder  horse  rose  on  the  wind  and  off  they 
went. 

When  the  dragon  got  home  and  found  that  the  Prin- 
cess had  fled  again,  he  said  to  his  horse: 

"  Shall  we  follow  her  at  once  or  shall  we  eat  supper 
first? " 

"  It's  all  one  what  we  do,"  the  horse  said,  "  for  we 
shall  never  overtake  her." 

At  that  the  dragon  leaped  upon  his  horse  and,  mount- 
ing on  the  wind,  started  off  in  hot  pursuit.  Presently 
they  caught  sight  of  the  other  horse  carrying  the  Prince 


THE  ENCHANTED  PEAFOWL       137 

and  the  Princess  but,  try  as  he  would,  the  dragon's 
horse  could  not  overtake  the  other.  The  dragon  beat 
his  horse  unmercifully  and  dug  his  sharp  claws  into 
the  horse's  tender  flanks  until  the  horse  in  agony  called 
out  to  the  Prince's  horse: 

"Hold,  brother,  hold!  Let  me  overtake  you  or  this 
monster  will  kill  me  with  his  cruelty!  " 

"Why  do  you  carry  such  a  monster?"  the  Prince's 
horse  called  back.  '  Throw  him  from  you  and  be  rid 
of  him  forever!  " 

At  that  the  dragon's  horse  reared  suddenly  and  the 
dragon,  losing  his  balance,  fell  and  was  dashed  to  pieces 
on  the  rocks  below. 

And  that  was  the  end  of  that  dragon! 

Then  the  Princess  wept  but  her  tears  were  tears  of 
joy  for  she  knew  now  that  the  enchantment  that  had 
bound  her  was  broken  forever.  Never  again  would  she 
be  changed  into  a  peafowl  at  the  whim  of  a  wicked 
dragon,  never  again  be  separated  from  her  loved  one. 
Presently  she  mounted  the  dragon's  horse  and  together 
she  and  the  Prince  returned  to  the  beautiful  city.  The 
people  came  out  to  meet  them  and  when  they  heard  of 
the  dragon's  death  a  holiday  was  proclaimed  and  amidst 
music  and  dancing  and  merrymaking  the  Princess  mar- 
ried the  Prince.  Then  she  was  made  Queen  of  that 


138  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

beautiful  city  and  the  Prince  was  made  King.  They 
ruled  long  and  wisely  and  better  than  that  they  lived 
happily  for  they  loved  each  other. 

So  now  you  know  the  story  of  the  Peafowl  who  be- 
came a  Queen  and  of  the  Tsar's  Youngest  Son  who 
married  her. 


THE  DRAGON'S  STRENGTH 


The  Story  of  the  Youngest  Prince  Who  Killed  the  Sparrow 


THE  DRAGON'S  STRENGTH 

THERE  was  once  a  King  who  had  three  sons. 
One  day  the  oldest  son  went  hunting  and  when 
night  fell  his  huntsmen  came  riding  home  without  him. 

"Where  is  the  prince?  "  the  King  asked. 

"  Isn't  he  here?  "  the  huntsmen  said.  "  He  left  us 
in  midafternoon  chasing  a  hare  near  the  Old  Mill  up 
the  river.  We  haven't  seen  him  since  and  we  supposed 
he  must  have  come  home  alone." 

When  he  hadn't  returned  the  following  day  his 
brother,  the  second  prince,  went  out  to  search  for  him. 

"  I'll  go  to  the  Old  Mill,"  he  said  to  the  King,  "  and 
see  what's  become  of  him." 

So  he  mounted  nis  horse  and  rode  up  the  river.  As 
he  neared  the  Old  Mill  a  hare  crossed  his  path  and  the 
second  prince  being  a  hunter  like  his  brother  at  once 
gave  chase.  His  attendant  waited  for  his  return  but 
waited  in  vain.  Night  fell  and  still  there  was  no  sign 
of  the  second  prince. 

The  attendant  returned  to  the  palace  and  told  the 
King  what  had  happened.  The  King  was  surprised  but 
not  unduly  alarmed  and  the  following  day  when  the 

141 


142  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

Youngest  Prince  asked  to  go  hunting  alone  the  King 
suggested  that  he  go  in  the  direction  of  the  Old  Mill 
to  find  out  if  he  could  what  was  keeping  his  brothers. 

The  Youngest  Prince  who  had  listened  carefully  to 
what  his  brothers'  attendants  had  reported  decided  to 
act  cautiously.  So  when  a  hare  crossed  his  path  as  he 
approached  the  Old  Mill,  instead  of  giving  it  chase,  he 
rode  off  as  though  he  were  hunting  other  game.  Later 
he  returned  to  the  Old  Mill  from  another  direction. 

He  found  an  old  woman  sitting  in  front  of  it. 

"  Good  evening,  granny,"  he  said  in  a  friendly  tone, 
pulling  up  his  horse  for  a  moment's  chat.  "  Do  you 
live  here?  You  know  I  thought  the  Old  Mill  was  de- 
serted." 

The  old  woman  looked  at  him  and  shook  her  head 
gloomily. 

"Deserted  indeed!  My  boy,  take  an  old  woman's 
advice  and  don't  have  anything  to  do  with  this  old  mill! 
It's  an  evil  place ! " 

"  Why,  granny,"  the  Prince  said,  "  what's  the  matter 
with  it?" 

The  old  woman  peered  cautiously  around  and  when 
she  saw  they  were  alone  she  beckoned  the  Prince  to 
come  near.  Then  she  whispered: 

"A  dragon  lives  here!     A  horrible  monster!     He 


THE  DRAGON'S  STRENGTH  143 

takes  the  form  of  a  hare  and  lures  people  into  the 
mill.  Then  he  captures  them.  Some  of  them  he  kills 
and  eats  and  others  he  holds  as  prisoners  in  an  under- 
ground dungeon.  I'm  one  of  his  prisoners  and  he  keeps 
me  here  to  work  for  him." 

"  Granny,"  the  Youngest  Prince  said,  "  would  you 
like  me  to  rescue  you?  " 

"  My  boy,  you  couldn't  do  it !  You  have  no  idea 
what  a  strong  evil  monster  the  dragon  is." 

"  If  you  found  out  something  for  me,  granny,  I  think 
I  might  be  able  to  overcome  the  dragon  and  rescue 
you." 

The  old  woman  was  doubtful  but  she  promised  to  do 
anything  the  Youngest  Prince  asked. 

"  Well  then,  granny,  find  out  from  the  dragon  where 
his  strength  is,  whether  in  his  own  body  or  somewhere 
else.  Find  out  to-night  and  I'll  come  back  to-morrow 
at  this  same  hour  to  see  you." 

So  that  night  when  the  dragon  came  home,  after  he 
had  supped  and  when  she  was  scratching  his  head  to 
make  him  drowsy  for  bed,  the  old  woman  said  to  him: 

"  Master,  I  think  you're  the  strongest  dragon  in  the 
world!  Tell  me  now,  where  does  your  strength  lie — 
in  your  own  beautiful  body  or  somewhere  else? " 

"  You're  right,  old  woman,"  the  dragon  grunted:  "  I 


144  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

am  pretty  strong  as  dragons  go.  But  I  don't  keep  my 
strength  in  my  own  body.  No,  indeed!  That  would 
be  too  dangerous.  I  keep  it  in  the  hearth  yonder." 

At  that  the  old  woman  ran  over  to  the  hearth  and, 
stooping  down,  she  kissed  it  and  caressed  it. 

"  O  beautiful  hearth!  "  she  said,  "  where  my  master's 
strength  is  hidden!  How  happy  are  the  ashes  that 
cover  your  stones! " 

The  dragon  laughed  with  amusement. 

'  That's  the  time  I  fooled  you,  old  woman!  My 
strength  isn't  in  the  hearth  at  all!  It's  in  the  tree  in 
front  of  the  mill." 

The  old  woman  at  once  ran  out  of  the  mill  and  threw 
her  arms  about  the  tree. 

"O  tree!"  she  cried,  "most  beautiful  tree  in  the 
world,  guard  carefully  our  master's  strength  and  let  no 
harm  come  to  it! " 

Again  the  dragon  laughed. 

"I've  fooled  you  another  time,  old  woman!  Come 
here  and  scratch  my  head  some  more  and  this  time 
I'll  tell  you  the  truth  for  I  see  you  really  love  your 
master." 

So  the  old  woman  went  back  and  scratched  the 
dragon's  head  and  the  dragon  told  her  the  truth  about 
his  strength. 


THE  DRAGON'S  STRENGTH  145 

"  I  keep  it  far  away,"  he  said.  "  In  the  third  king- 
dom from  here  near  the  Tsar's  own  city  there  is  a  deep 
lake.  A  dragon  lives  at  the  bottom  of  the  lake.  In 
the  dragon  there  is  a  wild  boar ;  in  the  boar  a  hare ;  in 
the  hare  a  pigeon;  in  the  pigeon  a  sparrow.  My 
strength  is  in  the  sparrow.  Let  any  one  kill  the  spar- 
row and  I  should  die  that  instant.  But  I  am  safe.  No 
one  but  shepherds  ever  come  to  the  lake  and  even  they 
don't  come  any  more  for  the  dragon  has  eaten  up  so 
many  of  them  that  the  lake  has  got  a  bad  name.  In- 
deed, nowadays  even  the  Tsar  himself  is  hard  put  to 
it  to  find  a  shepherd.  Oh,  I  tell  you,  old  woman,  your 
master  is  a  clever  one!  " 

So  now  the  old  woman  had  the  dragon's  secret  and 
the  next  day  she  told  it  to  the  Youngest  Prince.  He 
at  once  devised  a  plan  whereby  he  hoped  to  overcome 
the  dragon.  He  dressed  himself  as  a  shepherd  and  with 
crook  in  hand  started  off  on  foot  for  the  third  king- 
dom. He  traveled  through  villages  and  towns,  across 
rivers  and  over  mountains,  and  reached  at  last  the  third 
kingdom  and  the  Tsar's  own  city.  He  presented  him- 
self at  the  palace  and  asked  employment  as  a  shepherd. 

The  guards  looked  at  him  in  surprise  and  said: 

"  A  shepherd!  Are  you  sure  you  want  to  be  a  shep- 
herd?" 


146  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

Then  they  called  to  their  companions:  "Here's  a 
youth  who  wants  to  be  a  shepherd!  "  And  the  word 
went  through  the  palace  and  even  the  Tsar  heard  it. 

"  Send  the  youth  to  me,"  he  ordered. 

"  Do  you  really  want  to  be  my  shepherd?  "  he  asked 
the  Youngest  Prince. 

The  Youngest  Prince  said  yes,  he  did. 

"  If  I  put  you  in  charge  of  the  sheep,  where  would 
you  pasture  them?  " 

"  Isn't  there  a  lake  beyond  the  city,"  the  Prince  asked, 
"  where  the  grazing  is  good?  " 

"  H'm!  "  said  the  Tsar.  "  So  you  know  about  that 
lake,  too!  What  else  do  you  know?  " 

"  I've  heard  the  shepherds  disappear." 

"  And  still  you  want  to  try  your  luck? "  the  Tsar 
exclaimed. 

Just  then  the  Tsar's  only  daughter,  a  lovely  Princess, 
who  had  been  looking  at  the  young  stranger,  slipped 
over  to  her  father  and  whispered: 

"  But,  father,  you  can't  let  such  a  handsome  young 
man  as  that  go  off  with  the  sheep!  It  would  be  dread- 
ful if  he  never  returned!  " 

The  Tsar  whispered  back: 

"  Hush,  child !  Your  concern  for  the  young  man's 
safety  does  credit  to  your  noble  feelings.  But  this  is 


THE  DRAGON'S  STRENGTH  147 

not  the  time  or  the  place  for  sentiment.    We  must  con- 
sider first  the  welfare  of  the  royal  sheep." 

He  turned  to  the  Youngest  Prince: 

"  Very  well,  young  man,  you  may  consider  yourself 
engaged  as  shepherd.  Provide  yourself  with  whatever 
you  need  and  assume  your  duties  at  once." 

"  There  is  one  thing,"  the  Youngest  Prince  said ; 
"  when  I  start  out  to-morrow  morning  with  the  sheep 
I  should  like  to  take  with  me  two  strong  boarhounds, 
a  falcon,  and  a  set  of  bagpipes." 

'  You  shall  have  them  all,"  the  Tsar  promised. 

Early  the  next  morning  when  the  Princess  peeped 
out  of  her  bedroom  window  she  saw  the  new  shepherd 
driving  the  royal  flocks  to  pasture.  A  falcon  was 
perched  on  his  shoulder;  he  had  a  set  of  bagpipes  under 
his  arm;  and  he  was  leading  two  powerful  boarhounds 
on  a  leash. 

"  It's  a  shame!  "  the  Princess  said  to  herself.  "  He'll 
probably  never  return  and  he's  such  a  handsome  young 
man,  too!"  And  she  was  so  unhappy  at  thought  of 
never  again  seeing  the  new  shepherd  that  she  couldn't 
go  back  to  sleep. 

Well,  the  Youngest  Prince  reached  the  lake  and 
turned  out  his  sheep  to  graze.  He  perched  the  falcon 
on  a  log,  tied  the  dogs  beside  it,  and  laid  his  bagpipes 


148  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

on  the  ground.  Then  he  took  off  his  smock,  rolled  up 
his  hose,  and  wading  boldly  into  the  lake  called  out  in 
a  loud  voice: 

"  Ho,  dragon,  come  out  and  we'll  try  a  wrestling 
match!  That  is,  if  you're  not  afraid!  " 

"Afraid?"  bellowed  an  awful  voice.  "Who's 
afraid? " 

The  water  of  the  lake  churned  this  way  and  that  and 
a  horrible  scaly  monster  came  to  the  surface.  He 
crawled  out  on  shore  and  clutched  the  Prince  around 
the  waist.  And  the  Prince  clutched  him  in  a  grip  just 
as  strong  and  there  they  swayed  back  and  forth,  and 
rolled  over,  and  wrestled  together  on  the  shore  of  the 
lake  without  either  getting  the  better  of  the  other.  By 
midafternoon  when  the  sun  was  hot,  the  dragon  grew 
faint  and  cried  out : 

"  Oh,  if  I  could  but  dip  my  burning  head  in  the  cool 
water,  then  I  could  toss  you  as  high  as  the  sky ! " 

"Don't  talk  nonsense!"  the  Prince  said.  "If  the 
Tsar's  daughter  would  kiss  my  forehead,  then  I  could 
toss  you  twice  as  high! " 

After  that  the  dragon  slipped  out  of  the  Prince's 
grasp,  plunged  into  the  water,  and  disappeared.  The 
Prince  waited  for  him  but  he  didn't  show  his  scaly  head 
again  that  day. 


THE  DRAGON'S  STRENGTH  149 

When  evening  came,  the  Prince  washed  off  the  grime 
of  the  fight,  dressed  himself  carefully,  and  then  looking 
as  fresh  and  handsome  as  ever  drove  home  his  sheep. 
With  the  falcon  on  his  shoulder  and  the  two  hounds  at 
his  heels  he  came  playing  a  merry  tune  on  his  bagpipes. 

The  townspeople  hearing  the  bagpipes  ran  out  of 
their  houses  and  cried  to  each  other: 

"  The  shepherd's  come  back!  " 

The  Princess  ran  to  her  window  and,  when  she  saw 
the  shepherd  alive  and  well,  she  put  her  hand  to  her 
heart  and  said: 

"Oh!" 

Even  the  Tsar  was  pleased. 

"I'm  not  a  bit  surprised  that  he's  back!"  he  said. 
"There's  something  about  this  youth  that  I  like!" 

The  next  day  the  Tsar  sent  two  of  his  trusted  serv- 
ants to  the  lake  to  see  what  was  happening  there.  They 
hid  themselves  behind  some  bushes  on  a  little  hill  that 
commanded  the  lake.  They  were  there  when  the  shep- 
herd arrived  and  they  watched  him  as  he  waded  out  into 
the  water  and  challenged  the  dragon  as  on  the  day 
before. 

They  heard  the  shepherd  call  out  in  a  loud  voice: 

"  Ho,  dragon,  come  out  and  we'll  try  a  wrestling 
match!  That  is,  if  you're  not  afraid! " 


150  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

And  from  the  water  they  heard  an  awful  voice  bellow 
back: 

"Afraid?    Who's  afraid?" 

Then  they  saw  the  water  of  the  lake  churn  this  way 
and  that  and  a  horrible  scaly  monster  come  to  the  sur- 
face. They  saw  him  crawl  out  on  shore  and  clutch 
the  shepherd  around  the  waist.  And  they  saw  the 
shepherd  clutch  him  in  a  grip  just  as  strong.  And  they 
watched  the  two  as  they  swayed  back  and  forth  and 
rolled  over  and  wrestled  together  without  either  getting 
the  better  of  the  other.  By  midafternoon  when  the  sun 
grew  hot  they  saw  the  dragon  grow  faint  and  they  heard 
him  cry  out: 

"  Oh,  if  I  could  only  dip  my  burning  head  in  the  cool 
water,  then  I  could  toss  you  as  high  as  the  sky! " 

And  they  heard  the  shepherd  reply: 

"  Don't  talk  nonsense!  If  the  Tsar's  daughter  would 
kiss  my  forehead,  then  I  could  toss  you  twice  as  high!  " 

Then  they  saw  the  dragon  slip  out  of  the  shepherd's 
grasp,  plunge  into  the  water,  and  disappear.  They 
waited  but  he  didn't  show  his  scaly  head  again  that 
day. 

So  the  Tsar's  servants  hurried  home  before  the  shep- 
herd and  told  the  Tsar  all  they  had  seen  and  heard. 
The  Tsar  was  mightily  impressed  with  the  bravery  of 


THE  DRAGON'S  STRENGTH  151 

the  shepherd  and  he  declared  that  if  he  killed  that 
horrid  dragon  he  should  have  the  Princess  herself 
for  wife! 

He  sent  for  his  daughter  and  told  her  all  that  his  serv- 
ants had  reported  and  he  said  to  her: 

"  My  daughter,  you,  too,  can  help  rid  your  country 
of  this  monster  if  you  go  out  with  the  shepherd  to- 
morrow and  when  the  time  comes  kiss  him  on  the  fore- 
head. You  will  do  this,  will  you  not,  for  your  country's 
sake? " 

The  Princess  blushed  and  trembled  and  the  Tsar, 
looking  at  her  in  surprise,  said: 

"  What !  Shall  a  humble  shepherd  face  a  dragon 
unafraid  and  the  daughter  of  the  Tsar  tremble!" 

"  Father,"  the  Princess  cried,  "  it  isn't  the  dragon 
that  I'm  afraid  of!" 

"What  then?"  the  Tsar  asked. 

But  what  it  was  she  was  afraid  of  the  Princess  would 
not  confess.  Instead  she  said: 

"  If  the  welfare  of  my  country  require  that  I  kiss 
the  shepherd  on  the  forehead,  I  shall  do  so." 

So  the  next  morning  when  the  shepherd  started  out 
with  his  sheep,  the  falcon  on  his  shoulder,  the  dogs  at 
his  heels,  the  bagpipes  under  his  arm,  the  Princess 
walked  beside  him. 


152  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

Her  eyes  were  downcast  and  he  saw  that  she  was 
trembling. 

"  Do  not  be  afraid,  dear  Princess,"  he  said  to  her. 
44  Nothing  shall  harm  you — I  promise  that!" 

"  I'm  not  afraid,"  the  Princess  murmured.  But  she 
continued  to  blush  and  tremble  and,  although  the  shep- 
herd tried  to  look  into  her  eyes  to  reassure  her,  she  kept 
her  head  averted. 

This  time  the  Tsar  himself  and  many  of  his  courtiers 
had  gone  on  before  and  taken  their  stand  on  the  hill 
that  overlooked  the  lake  to  see  the  final  combat  of  the 
shepherd  and  the  dragon. 

When  the  shepherd  and  the  Princess  reached  the  lake, 
the  shepherd  put  his  falcon  on  the  log  as  before  and 
tied  the  dogs  beside  it  and  laid  his  bagpipes  on  the 
ground.  Then  he  threw  off  his  smock,  rolled  up  his 
hose,  and  wading  boldly  into  the  lake  called  out  in  a 
loud  voice: 

"  Ho,  dragon,  come  out  and  we'll  try  a  wrestling 
match !  That  is,  if  you're  not  afraid !  " 

"Afraid?"  bellowed  an  awful  voice.  "Who's 
afraid?" 

The  water  of  the  lake  churned  this  way  and  that  and 
the  horrible  scaly  monster  came  to  the  surface.  He 
crawled  to  shore  and  clutched  the  shepherd  around  the 


Next  Morning  the  Princess  Peeped  Out  and  Saw  the  Sliepherd 


THE  DRAGON'S  STRENGTH  155 

waist.  The  shepherd  clutched  him  in  a  grip  just  as 
strong  and  there  they  swayed  back  and  forth  and  rolled 
over  and  wrestled  together  on  the  shore  of  the  lake 
without  either  getting  the  better  of  the  other.  The 
Princess  without  the  least  show  of  fear  stood  nearby 
calling  out  encouragement  to  the  shepherd  and  waiting 
for  the  moment  when  the  shepherd  should  need  her 
help. 

By  midafternoon  when  the  sun  was  hot,  the  dragon 
grew  faint  and  cried  out: 

"  Oh,  if  I  could  but  dip  my  burning  head  in  the  cool 
water,  then  I  could  toss  you  as  high  as  the  sky! " 

"  Don't  talk  nonsense!  "  the  shepherd  said.  "  If  the 
Tsar's  daughter  would  kiss  my  forehead  then  I  could 
toss  you  twice  as  high!  " 

Instantly  the  Princess  ran  forward  and  kissed  the 
shepherd  three  times.  The  first  kiss  fell  on  his  fore- 
head, the  second  on  his  nose,  the  third  on  his  mouth. 
With  each  kiss  his  strength  increased  an  hundredfold 
and  taking  the  dragon  in  a  mighty  grip  he  tossed  him 
up  so  high  that  for  a  moment  the  Tsar  and  all  the  cour- 
tiers lost  sight  of  him  in  the  sky.  Then  he  fell  to  earth 
with  such  a  thud  that  he  burst. 

Out  of  his  body  sprang  a  wild  boar.  The  shepherd 
was  ready  for  this  and  on  the  moment  he  unleashed 


156  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

the  two  hounds  and  they  fell  on  the  boar  and  tore  him 
to  pieces. 

Out  of  the  boar  jumped  a  rabbit.  It  went  leaping 
across  the  meadow  but  the  dogs  caught  it  and  killed  it. 

Out  of  the  rabbit  flew  a  pigeon.  Instantly  the  shep- 
herd unloosed  the  falcon.  It  rose  high  in  the  air,  then 
swooped  down  upon  the  pigeon,  clutched  it  in  its  talons, 
and  delivered  it  into  the  shepherd's  hands. 

He  cut  open  the  pigeon  and  found  the  sparrow. 

"  Spare  me!    Spare  me!  "  squawked  the  sparrow. 

"  Tell  me  where  my  brothers  are,"  the  shepherd  de- 
manded with  his  fingers  about  the  sparrow's  throat. 

"  Your  brothers?  They  are  alive  and  in  the  deep 
dungeon  that  lies  below  the  Old  Mill.  Behind  the  mill 
there  are  three  willow  saplings  growing  from  one  old 
root.  Cut  the  saplings  and  strike  the  root.  A  heavy 
iron  door  leading  down  into  the  dungeon  will  open.  In 
the  dungeon  you  will  find  many  captives  old  and  young, 
your  brothers  among  them.  Now  that  I  have  told  you 
this  are  you  going  to  spare  my  life? " 

But  the  shepherd  wrung  the  sparrow's  neck  for  he 
knew  that  only  in  that  way  could  the  monster  who  had 
captured  his  brothers  be  killed. 

Well,  now  that  the  dragon  was  dead  the  Tsar  and  all 
his  courtiers  came  down  from  the  hill  and  embraced 


THE  DRAGON'S  STRENGTH  157 

the  shepherd  and  told  him  what  a  brave  youth  he 
was. 

"  You  have  delivered  us  all  from  a  horrid  monster," 
the  Tsar  said,  "  and  to  show  you  my  gratitude  and  the 
country's  gratitude  I  offer  you  my  daughter  for  wife." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  shepherd,  "  but  I  couldn't 
think  of  marrying  the  Princess  unless  she  is  willing  to 
marry  me." 

The  Princess  blushed  and  trembled  just  as  she  had 
blushed  and  trembled  the  night  before  and  that  morn- 
ing, too,  on  the  way  to  the  lake.  She  tried  to  speak 
but  could  not  at  first.  Then  in  a  very  little  voicQ 
she  said: 

"  As  a  Princess  I  think  it  is  my  duty  to  marry  this 
brave  shepherd  who  has  delivered  my  country  from  this 
terrible  dragon,  and — and  I  think  I  should  want  to 
marry  him  anyway." 

She  said  the  last  part  of  her  speech  in  such  a  very 
low  voice  that  only  the  shepherd  himself  heard  it.  But 
that  was  right  enough  because  after  all  it  was  intended 
only  for  him. 

So  then  and  there  beside  the  lake  before  even  the 
shepherd  had  time  to  wash  his  face  and  hands  and  put 
on  his  smock  the  Tsar  put  the  Princess's  hand  in  his 
hand  and  pronounced  them  betrothed. 


158  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

After  that  the  shepherd  bathed  in  the  lake  and  then 
refreshed  and  clean  he  sounded  his  bagpipes  and  he  and 
the  Princess  and  the  Tsar  and  all  the  courtiers  returned 
to  the  city  driving  the  sheep  before  them. 

All  the  townspeople  came  out  to  meet  them  and  they 
danced  to  the  music  of  the  bagpipes  and  there  was  great 
rejoicing  both  over  the  death  of  the  dragon  and  over 
the  betrothal  of  the  Princess  and  the  brave  shepherd. 

The  wedding  took  place  at  once  and  the  wedding 
festivities  lasted  a  week.  Such  feasting  as  the  towns- 
people had!  Such  music  and  dancing! 

When  the  wedding  festivities  were  ended,  the  shep- 
herd told  the  Tsar  who  he  really  was. 

"  You  say  you're  a  Prince!  "  the  Tsar  cried,  perfectly 
delighted  at  this  news.  Then  he  declared  he  wasn't 
in  the  least  surprised.  In  fact,  he  said,  he  had  suspected 
as  much  from  the  first! 

"  Do  you  think  it  likely,"  he  asked  somewhat  pomp- 
ously, "  that  any  daughter  of  mine  would  fall  in  love 
with  a  man  who  wasn't  a  prince? " 

"  I  think  I'd  have  fallen  in  love  with  you  whatever 
you  were!  "  whispered  the  Princess  to  her  young  hus- 
band. But  she  didn't  let  her  father  hear  her! 

The  Prince  told  the  Tsar  about  his  brothers'  captiv- 
ity and  how  he  must  go  home  to  release  them,  and  the 


THE  DRAGON'S  STRENGTH  159 

Tsar  at  once  said  that  he  and  his  bride  might  go  pro- 
vided they  returned  as  soon  as  possible. 

They  agreed  to  this  and  the  Tsar  fitted  out  a  splen- 
did escort  for  them  and  sent  them  away  with  his 
blessing. 

So  the  Prince  now  traveled  back  through  the  towns 
and  villages  of  three  kingdoms,  across  rivers  and  over 
mountains,  no  longer  a  humble  shepherd  on  foot,  but 
a  rich  and  mighty  personage  riding  in  a  manner  that 
befitted  his  rank. 

When  he  reached  the  deserted  mill,  his  friend  the 
old  woman  was  waiting  for  him. 

"  I  know,  my  Prince,  you  have  succeeded  for  the 
monster  has  disappeared." 

'  Yes,  granny,  you  are  right :  I  have  succeeded.  I 
found  the  dragon  in  the  lake,  and  the  boar  in  the  dragon, 
and  the  rabbit  in  the  boar,  and  the  pigeon  in  the  rabbit, 
and  the  sparrow  in  the  pigeon.  I  took  the  sparrow  and 
killed  it.  So  you  are  free  now,  granny,  to  return  to 
your  home.  And  soon  all  those  other  poor  captives  will 
be  free." 

He  went  behind  the  mill  and  found  the  three  willow 
saplings.  He  cut  them  off  and  struck  the  old  root. 
Sure  enough  a  heavy  iron  door  opened.  This  led  down 
into  a  deep  dungeon  which  was  crowded  with  unfortu- 


160  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

nate  prisoners.  The  Prince  led  them  all  out  and  sent 
them  their  various  ways.  He  found  his  own  two  broth- 
ers among  them  and  led  them  home  to  his  father. 

There  was  great  rejoicing  in  the  King's  house,  and 
in  the  King's  heart,  too,  for  he  had  given  up  hope  of 
ever  seeing  any  of  his  sons  again. 

The  King  was  so  charmed  with  the  Princess  that  he 
said  it  was  a  pity  that  she  couldn't  marry  his  oldest 
son  so  that  she  might  one  day  be  Queen. 

"  The  Youngest  Prince  is  a  capable  young  man,"  the 
King  said,  "and  there's  no  denying  that  he  managed 
this  business  of  killing  the  dragon  very  neatly.  But  he 
is  after  all  only  the  Youngest  Prince  with  very  little 
hope  of  succeeding  to  the  kingdom.  If  you  hadn't  mar- 
ried him  in  such  haste  one  of  his  older  brothers  might 
easily  have  fallen  in  love  with  you." 

"  I  don't  regret  my  haste,"  the  Princess  said.  "  Be- 
sides he  is  now  my  father's  heir.  But  that  doesn't  mat- 
ter for  I  should  be  happy  with  the  Youngest  Prince  if 
he  were  only  a  shepherd." 


THE  LITTLE  SINGING  FROG 

t 


The  Story  of  a  Girl  Whose  Parents  Were  Ashamed  of  Her 


THE  LITTLE  SINGING  FROG 

THERE  was  once  a  poor  laborer  and  his  wife  who 
had  no  children.  Every  day  the  woman  would 
sigh  and  say: 

"  If  only  we  had  a  child!" 

Then  the  man  would  sigh,  too,  and  say: 

"  It  would  be  pleasant  to  have  a  little  daughter, 
wouldn't  it? " 

At  last  they  went  on  a  pilgrimage  to  a  holy  shrine 
and  there  they  prayed  God  to  give  them  a  child. 

"  Any  kind  of  a  child!  "  the  woman  prayed.  "  I'd 
be  thankful  for  a  child  of  our  own  even  if  it  were 
a  frog!  " 

God  heard  their  prayer  and  sent  them  a  little  daugh- 
ter— not  a  little  girl  daughter,  however,  but  a  little  frog 
daughter.  They  loved  their  little  frog  child  dearly  and 
played  with  her  and  laughed  and  clapped  their  hands 
as  they  watched  her  hopping  about  the  house.  But 
when  the  neighbors  came  in  and  whispered:  "  Why,  that 
child  of  theirs  is  nothing  but  a  frog! "  they  were 
ashamed  and  they  decided  that  when  people  were  about 
they  had  better  keep  their  child  hidden  in  a  closet. 

163 


164  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

So  the  frog  girl  grew  up  without  playmates  of  her 
own  age,  seeing  only  her  father  and  mother.  She  used 
to  play  about  her  father  as  he  worked.  He  was  a  vine- 
dresser in  a  big  vineyard  and  of  course  it  was  great  fun 
for  the  little  frog  girl  to  hop  about  among  the  vines. 

Every  day  at  noontime  the  woman  used  to  come  to 
the  vineyard  carrying  her  husband's  dinner  in  a  basket. 
The  years  went  by  and  she  grew  old  and  feeble  and  the 
daily  trip  to  the  vineyard  began  to  tire  her  and  the 
basket  seemed  to  her  to  grow  heavier  and  heavier. 

"  Let  me  help  you,  mother,"  the  frog  daughter  said, 
"  Let  me  carry  father's  dinner  to  him  and  you  sit  home 
and  rest." 

So  from  that  time  on  the  frog  girl  instead  of  the  old 
woman  carried  the  dinner  basket  to  the  vineyard. 
While  the  old  man  ate,  the  frog  girl  would  hop  up  into 
the  branches  of  a  tree  and  sing.  She  sang  very  sweetly 
and  her  old  father,  when  he  petted  her,  used  to  call  her 
his  Little  Singing  Frog. 

Now  one  day  while  she  was  singing  the  Tsar's  Young- 
est Son  rode  by  and  heard  her.    He  stopped  his  horse 
and  looked  this  way  and  that  but  for  the  life  of  him  he 
couldn't  see  who  it  was  who  was  singing  so  sweetly. 
"  Who  is  singing? "  he  asked  the  old  man. 
But  the  old  man  who,  as  I  told  you  before,  was 


THE  LITTLE  SINGING  FROG  165 

ashamed  of  his  frog  daughter  before  strangers,  at  first 
pretended  not  to  hear  and  then,  when  the  young  Prince 
repeated  his  question,  answered  gruffly: 

"  There's  no  one  singing!  " 

But  the  next  day  at  the  same  hour  when  the  Prince 
was  again  riding  by  he  heard  the  same  sweet  voice  and 
he  stopped  again  and  listened. 

"  Surely,  old  man,"  he  said,  "  there  is  some  one  sing- 
ing! It  is  a  lovely  girl,  I  know  it  is!  Why,  if  I  could 
find  her,  I'd  be  willing  to  marry  her  at  once  and  take 
her  home  to  my  father,  the  Tsar! " 

"  Don't  be  rash,  young  man,"  the  laborer  said. 

"I  mean  what  I  say!"  the  Prince  declared.  "I'd 
marry  her  in  a  minute !  " 

"  Are  you  sure  you  would?  " 

"Yes,  I'm  sure!" 

"  Very  well,  then,  we'll  see." 

The  old  man  looked  up  into  the  tree  and  called: 

"  Come  down,  Little  Singing  Frog!  A  Prince  wants 
to  marry  you! " 

So  the  little  frog  girl  hopped  down  from  among  the 
branches  and  stood  before  the  Prince. 

"  She's  my  own  daughter,"  the  laborer  said,  "  even  if 
she  does  look  like  a  frog." 

"  I  don't  care  what  she  looks  like,"  the  Prince  said. 


166  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

"  I  love  her  singing  and  I  love  her.  And  I  mean  what 
I  say:  I'll  marry  her  if  she'll  marry  me.  My  father, 
the  Tsar,  bids  me  and  my  brothers  present  him  our 
brides  to-morrow.  He  bids  all  the  brides  bring  him  a 
flower  and  he  says  he'll  give  the  kingdom  to  the  prince 
whose  bride  brings  the  loveliest  flower.  Little  Singing 
Frog,  will  you  be  my  bride  and  will  you  come  to  Court 
to-morrow  bringing  a  flower?  " 

"  Yes,  my  Prince,"  the  frog  girl  said,  "  I  will.  But 
I  must  not  shame  you  by  hopping  to  Court  in  the 
dust.  I  must  ride.  So,  will  you  send  me  a  snow-white 
cock  from  your  father's  barnyard? " 

"  I  will,"  the  Prince  promised,  and  before  night  the 
snow-white  cock  had  arrived  at  the  laborer's  cottage. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  frog  girl  prayed  to  the 
Sun. 

"  O  golden  Sun,"  she  said,  "  I  need  your  help!  Give 
me  some  lovely  clothes  woven  of  your  golden  rays 
for  I  would  not  shame  my  Prince  when  I  go  to 
Court." 

The  Sun  heard  her  prayer  and  gave  her  a  gown  of 
cloth  of  gold. 

Instead  of  a  flower  she  took  a  spear  of  wheat  in  her 
hand  and  then  when  the  time  came  she  mounted  the 
white  cock  and  rode  to  the  palace. 


This,  the  Bride  of  the  Youngest  Prince,  Is  My  Choice 


THE  LITTLE  SINGING  FROG  169 

The  guards  at  the  palace  gate  at  first  refused  to  ad- 
mit her. 

"This  is  no  place  for  frogs!"  they  said  to  her. 
"  You're  looking  for  a  pond! " 

But  when  she  told  them  she  was  the  Youngest 
Prince's  bride,  they  were  afraid  to  drive  her  away.  So 
they  let  her  ride  through  the  gate. 

"  Strange!  "  they  murmured  to  one  another.  "  The 
Youngest  Prince's  bride!  She  looks  like  a  frog  and 
that  was  certainly  a  cock  she  was  riding,  wasn't  it? " 

They  stepped  inside  the  gates  to  look  after  her  and 
then  they  saw  an  amazing  sight.  The  frog  girl,  still 
seated  on  the  white  cock,  was  shaking  out  the  folds  of  a 
golden  gown.  She  dropped  the  gown  over  her  head 
and  instantly  there  was  no  frog  and  no  white  cock  but  a 
lovely  maiden  mounted  on  a  snow-white  horse! 

Well,  the  frog  girl  entered  the  palace  with  two  other 
girls,  the  promised  brides  of  the  older  princes.  They 
were  just  ordinary  girls  both  of  them.  To  see  them  you 
wouldn't  have  paid  any  attention  to  them  one  way  or 
the  other.  But  standing  beside  the  lovely  bride  of  the 
Youngest  Prince  they  seemed  more  ordinary  than  ever. 

The  first  girl  had  a  rose  in  her  hand.  The  Tsar 
looked  at  it  and  at  her,  sniffed  his  nose  slightly,  and 
turned  his  head. 


170  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

The  second  girl  had  a  carnation.  The  Tsar  looked  at 
her  for  a  moment  and  murmured: 

"  Dear  me,  this  will  never  do!  " 

Then  he  looked  at  the  Youngest  Prince's  bride  and  his 
eye  kindled  and  he  said : 

"  Ah !    This  is  something  like !  " 

She  gave  him  the  spear  of  wheat  and  he  took  it  and 
held  it  aloft.  Then  he  reached  out  his  other  hand  to  her 
and  had  her  stand  beside  him  as  he  said  to  his  sons  and 
all  the  Court: 

"This,  the  bride  of  the  Youngest  Prince,  is  my  choice! 
See  how  beautiful  she  is!  And  yet  she  knows  the  use- 
ful as  well  as  the  beautiful  for  she  has  brought  me  a 
spear  of  wheat!  The  Youngest  Prince  shall  be  the 
Tsar  after  me  and  she  shall  be  Tsarina!  " 

So  the  little  frog  girl  of  whom  her  parents  were 
ashamed  married  the  Youngest  Prince  and  when  the 
time  came  wore  a  Tsarina's  crown. 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  THE  MOSQUE 


The  Story  of  the  Sultan's  Youngest  Son  and  the  Princes* 
Flower  o'  the  World 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  THE  MOSQUE 

THERE  was  once  a  Sultan  who  was  so  pious  and 
devout  that  he  spent  many  hours  every  day  in 
prayer. 

"  For  the  glory  of  Allah,"  he  thought  to  himself,  "  I 
ought  to  build  the  most  beautiful  mosque  in  the  world." 

So  he  called  together  the  finest  artisans  in  the  coun- 
try and  told  them  what  he  wanted.  He  spent  a  third  of 
his  riches  on  the  undertaking,  and  when  the  mosque 
was  finished  everybody  said: 

"  See  now,  our  Sultan  has  built  the  most  beautiful 
mosque  in  the  world  for  the  greater  glory  of  Allah! " 

On  the  first  day  when  the  Sultan  went  to  pray  in  the 
new  mosque,  a  Dervish  who  was  sitting  cross-legged  at 
the  entrance  spoke  to  him  in  a  droning  sing-song  voice 
and  said: 

"  Nay,  but  your  mosque  is  not  yet  beautiful  enough! 
There  is  something  it  lacks  and  your  prayers  will  be  un- 
availing! " 

The  words  of  the  holy  man  grieved  the  Sultan  and 
he  had  the  mosque  torn  down  and  another  built  in  its 
place  even  more  beautiful. 

173 


174  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

"  This  is  certainly  the  most  beautiful  mosque  in  the 
world!"  the  people  said,  and  the  Sultan's  heart  was 
very  happy  on  the  first  day  as  he  went  in  to  pray. 

But  again  the  Dervish,  seated  at  the  entrance,  said 
to  him  in  his  droning,  sing-song  voice : 

"  Nay,  but  your  mosque  is  not  yet  beautiful  enough! 
There  is  something  it  lacks  and  your  prayers  will  be 
unavailing!  " 

At  the  holy  man's  words  the  Sultan  had  the  second 
mosque  torn  down  and  a  third  one  built,  the  most  beau- 
tiful of  them  all.  But  when  it  was  finished  for  a  third 
time  the  Dervish  droned  out: 

"  Nay,  but  your  mosque  is  not  yet  beautiful  enough! 
There  is  something  it  lacks  and  your  prayers  will  be  un- 
availing! " 

"  What  can  I  do?  "  the  Sultan  cried.  "I  have  spent 
all  my  riches  and  now  I  have  no  means  wherewith  to 
build  another  mosque!  " 

He  fell  to  grieving  and  nothing  any  one  could  say 
would  comfort  him. 

His  three  sons  came  to  him  and  said : 

"  Father,  is  there  not  something  we  can  do  for 
you?" 

The  Sultan  sighed  and  shook  his  head. 

"  Nothing,  my  sons,  unless  indeed  you  were  to  find 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  THE  MOSQUE         175 

out  for  me  why  my  third  mosque  is  not  the  most  beauti- 
ful in  the  world." 

"  Brothers,"  the  youngest  suggested,  "  let  us  go  to 
the  Dervish  and  ask  him  why  it  is  that  the  third  mosque 
is  not  yet  beautiful  enough.  Perhaps  he  will  tell  us 
what  is  lacking." 

So  they  went  to  the  Dervish  and  asked  him  what  he 
meant  by  saying  to  the  Sultan  that  the  third  mosque  was 
not  yet  beautiful  enough  and  they  begged  him  to  tell 
them  what  it  was  that  was  lacking. 

The  Dervish  fixed  his  eyes  in  the  distance  and  slightly 
swaying  his  body  back  and  forth  answered  them  in  his 
sing-song  tone. 

"  The  mosque  is  beautiful,"  he  said,  "  and  the  foun- 
tain in  its  midst  is  beautiful,  but  where  is  the  glorious 
Nightingale  Gisar?  With  the  Nightingale  Gisar  sing- 
ing beside  the  fountain,  then  indeed  would  the  Sultan's 
third  mosque  be  the  most  beautiful  mosque  in  the 
world!" 

"  Only  tell  us  where  this  glorious  Nightingale  is,"  the 
brothers  begged,  "  and  we  will  get  him  if  it  costs  us  our 
lives!" 

"  I  cannot  tell  you  that,"  the  Dervish  droned.  "  You 
will  have  to  go  out  into  the  world  and  find  him  for  your- 
selves." 


176  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

So  the  three  brothers  returned  to  the  Sultan  and  told 
him  what  the  Dervish  had  said. 

"  All  your  third  mosque  lacks  to  be  the  most  beautiful 
mosque  in  the  world,"  they  told  him,  "  is  the  Nightingale 
Gisar  singing  beside  the  fountain.  So  grieve  no  more, 
father.  We,  your  three  sons,  will  go  out  into  the  world 
in  quest  of  this  glorious  bird  and  within  a  year's  time 
we  will  return  with  the  bird  in  our  hands  if  so  be  that  it 
is  anywhere  to  be  found  in  all  the  wide  world." 

The  Sultan  blessed  them  and  they  set  forth  the  three 
of  them,  side  by  side.  They  traveled  together  until 
they  reached  a  place  where  three  roads  branched.  Upon 
the  stone  of  the  left-hand  road  nothing  was  written. 
Upon  the  stone  of  the  middle  road  was  the  inscription: 
Who  goes  this  way  returns.  The  inscription  on  the 
third  stone  read :  Who  goes  this  way  shall  meet  many 
dangers  and  may  never  return. 

"  Let  us  part  here,"  the  oldest  brother  said,  "  and 
each  take  a  separate  road.  Then  if  all  goes  well,  let  us 
meet  here  again  on  this  same  spot  one  year  hence.  As 
our  father's  oldest  son  it  would  be  wrong  for  me  to  run 
unnecessary  risks,  so  I  will  take  the  left-hand  road." 

"  And  I  will  take  the  middle  road,"  the  second  brother 
cried. 

The  Youngest  Brother  laughed  and  said: 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  THE  MOSQUE         177 

"  That  leaves  the  dangerous  road  for  me !  Very  well, 
brothers,  that's-  the  very  road  I  wish  to  take  for  why 
should  I  leave  home  if  it  were  not  to  have  adventures! 
Farewell  then  until  we  meet  again  in  one  year's  time." 

The  oldest  traveled  his  safe  road  until  he  reached  a 
city  where  he  became  a  barber.  He  asked  every  man 
whose  head  he  shaved: 

"  Do  you  know  anything  of  the  Nightingale  Gisar?  " 

He  never  found  any  one  who  had  even  heard  of  the 
bird,  so  after  a  time  he  stopped  asking. 

The  second  brother  followed  the  middle  road  to  a 
city  where  he  settled  down  and  opened  a  coffee-house. 

"  Have  you  ever  heard  of  a  glorious  Nightingale 
known  as  Gisar?"  he  asked  at  first  of  every  traveler 
who  came  in  and  sipped  his  coffee.  Not  one  of  them 
ever  had  and  as  time  went  by  the  second  brother  gradu- 
ally stopped  even  making  inquiries. 

The  Youngest  Brother  who  took  the  dangerous  road 
came  to  no  city  at  all  but  to  a  far-off  desolate  place 
without  houses  or  highways  or  farms.  Wild  creatures 
hid  in  the  brush  and  snakes  glided  in  and  out  among  the 
rocks.  One  day  he  came  upon  a  wild  woman  who  was 
combing  her  hair  with  a  branch  of  juniper. 

"  That  isn't  the  way  to  comb  your  hair,"  the  Youngest 
Brother  said.  "  Here,  let  me  show  you." 


178  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

He  took  his  own  comb  and  smoothed  out  all  the  tan- 
gles in  the  wild  woman's  hair  until  she  was  comfortable 
and  happy. 

"  You  have  been  very  kind  to  me,"  she  said.  "  Now 
isn't  there  something  I  can  do  for  you  in  return?  " 

"  I  am  looking  for  the  Nightingale  Gisar.  If  you 
know  where  that  glorious  bird  is,  tell  me  and  that  will 
more  than  repay  me." 

But  the  wild  woman  had  never  heard  of  the  Nightin- 
gale Gisar. 

"  Only  wild  animals  inhabit  this  desolate  place,"  she 
said,  "  and  a  few  wild  people  like  me.  The  Nightingale 
Gisar  is  not  here." 

"  Then  I  must  go  farther,"  the  Youngest  Brother 
said. 

This  the  wild  woman  begged  him  not  to  do. 

"  Beyond  these  mountains,"  she  said,  "  is  a  wilder 
desert  with  fiercer  animals.  Turn  back  while  you 


can." 


"  No,"  the  Youngest  Brother  insisted,  "  I'm  going 
as  God  leads  me." 

So  he  left  the  wild  woman  and  crossed  the  mountains. 
He  went  on  and  on  until  he  was  footsore  and  weary. 
Then  at  last  he  came  to  the  Tiger's  house. 

The  Tiger's  wife  met  him. 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  THE  MOSQUE         179 

"  Be  off,  young  man!  "  she  warned  him,  "  or  the  Tiger 
when  he  comes  home  will  eat  you !  " 

"  No! "  said  the  Youngest  Brother,  "  now  I'm  here 
I'm  going  to  stay  for  I  have  a  question  to  ask  the 
Tiger." 

The  Tiger's  wife  was  making  bread.  When  the 
dough  was  ready  to  go  into  the  oven,  she  leaned  over  the 
glowing  embers  of  the  fire  and  began  to  brush  them 
aside  with  her  body. 

"Stop!"  the  Youngest  Brother  cried.  "You  will 
burn  yourself!  " 

"  But  how  else  can  I  brush  aside  the  glowing  em- 
bers ?  "  the  Tiger's  wife  asked. 

"  I'll  show  you." 

The  Youngest  Brother  cut  a  branch  from  a  tree  out- 
side and  fashioned  it  into  a  rough  broom.  Then  he 
showed  the  Tiger's  wife  how  to  use  it. 

"  Ah!  "  she  said  gratefully,  "  before  this  always  when 
I've  baked  bread  I've  been  sick  for  ten  days  afterwards. 
Now  I  shall  be  sick  no  more  for  you  have  taught  me 
how  to  use  a  broom.  In  return  let  me  hide  you  in  a 
dark  corner  and  when  the  Tiger  comes  home  I'll  tell 
him  how  kind  you  have  been  and  perhaps  he  will  not 
eat  you." 

So  she  hid  the  Youngest  Brother  in  a  dark  corner 


180  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

and  when  the  Tiger  came  home  she  met  him  and 
said: 

"See,  I  have  baked  bread  to-day  but  I  am  not  sick, 
for  a  youth  has  shown  me  how  I  can  brush  aside  the 
embers  without  burning  myself." 

The  Tiger  was  overjoyed  to  hear  that  his  wife  had 
been  able  to  bake  bread  without  being  made  sick  and  he 
swore  to  be  a  brother  to  him  who  had  taught  her  the  use 
of  a  broom.  So  the  Youngest  Brother  came  out  from 
the  dark  corner  where  he  was  hiding  and  the  Tiger  made 
him  welcome. 

"  What  are  you  doing  wandering  about  in  this  wild 
country?  "  the  Tiger  asked. 

"  I  am  searching  for  the  Nightingale  Gisar  and  I  have 
come  to  you  to  ask  you  if  you  can  tell  me  where  I  can 
find  that  glorious  bird." 

The  Tiger  had  never  heard  of  the  Nightingale  Gisar 
but  he  thought  that  his  oldest  brother  the  Lion  might 
know. 

"  Go  straight  on  from  here,"  he  said,  "  until  you  come 
to  the  Lion's  house.  His  old  wife  stands  outside  facing 
the  house  with  her  long  thin  old  dugs  thrown  over  her 
shoulders.  Go  up  to  her  from  behind  and  take  her  dugs 
and  put  them  in  your  mouth  and  suck  them  and  when 
she  asks  you  who  you  are,  say:  '  Don't  you  know  me, 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  THE  MOSQUE         181 

old  mother?  I'm  your  oldest  cub.'  Then  she  will  lead 
you  in  to  the  Lion  who  is  so  old  that  his  eyelids  droop. 
Prop  them  open  and  when  he  sees  you  he  will  tell  you 
what  he  knows." 

So  the  Youngest  Brother  went  on  to  the  Lion's  house 
and  he  found  the  Lion's  old  wife  standing  outside  as 
the  Tiger  said  he  would.  He  did  all  the  Tiger  had  told 
him  to  do  and  when  the  Lion's  wife  asked  him  who  he 
was,  he  said:  'Don't  you  know  me,  old  mother?  I'm 
your  oldest  cub.'  Then  the  Lion's  old  wife  led  him  in 
to  the  Lion  and  he  propped  open  the  Lion's  drooping 
eyelids  and  asked  about  the  Nightingale  Gisar. 

The  old  Lion  shook  his  head. 

"  I  have  never  heard  of  the  Nightingale  Gisar.  He 
has  never  sung  in  this  wild  place.  Turn  back,  young 
man,  and  seek  him  elsewhere.  Beyond  this  is  a  country 
of  wilder  creatures  where  you  will  only  lose  your 
life." 

"  That  is  as  God  wills,"  the  Youngest  Brother  said. 

With  that  he  bade  the  old  Lion  and  his  old  wife  fare- 
well and  pushed  on  into  the  farther  wilds.  The  moun- 
tains grew  more  and  more  rugged,  the  plains  more 
parched  and  barren,  and  the  Youngest  Son  was  hard 
put  to  it  to  find  food  from  day  to  day. 

Once  when  he  was  crossing  a  desert  three  eagles 


182  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

swooped  down  upon  him  and  it  was  all  he  could  do  to 
fight  them  off.  He  slashed  at  them  with  his  sword  and 
succeeded  in  cutting  off  the  beak  of  one,  a  wing  of  an- 
other, and  a  leg  of  the  third.  He  put  these  three  things 
in  his  bag  as  trophies. 

He  came  at  last  to  a  hut  where  an  old  woman  was 
baking  cakes  on  the  hearth. 

"  God  bless  you,  granny!  "  he  said.  "  Can  you  give 
me  a  bite  of  supper  and  shelter  for  the  night? " 

The  old  woman  shook  her  head. 

"  My  boy,  you  had  better  not  stop  here.  I  have  three 
daughters  and  if  they  were  to  come  home  and  find  you 
here,  they'd  kill  you." 

But  the  Youngest  Brother  insisted  that  he  was  not 
afraid  and  at  last  the  old  woman  let  him  stay.  She 
hid  him  in  the  corner  behind  the  firewood  and  warned 
him  to  keep  still. 

Presently  the  three  eagles  whom  he  had  maimed  came 
flying  into  the  hut.  The  old  woman  put  a  bowl  of  milk 
on  the  table,  the  birds  dipped  in  the  milk,  and  lo!  their 
feather  shirts  opened  and  they  stepped  out  three  maid- 
ens. One  of  them  had  lost  her  lips,  one  an  arm,  and  the 
third  a  leg. 

"  Ah!  "  they  cried  to  their  mother,  "  see  what  has  be- 
fallen us!  If  only  the  youth  who  maimed  us  would  re- 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  THE  MOSQUE         183 

turn  the  beak  and  the  wing  and  the  leg  that  he 
hacked  off,  we  would  tell  him  anything  he  wants  to 
know." 

At  that  the  Youngest  Brother  stepped  out  from  be- 
hind the  firewood  and  said : 

"  Tell  me  then  where  I  can  find  the  Nightingale 
Gisar  and  you  shall  have  back  your  beak  and  your  wing 
and  your  leg." 

He  opened  his  bag  and  the  maidens  were  overjoyed 
to  see  their  beak  and  their  wing  and  their  leg.  Then 
they  told  the  Youngest  Brother  all  they  knew  about  the 
Nightingale  Gisar. 

"  Far  from  here,"  they  said,  "  there  is  a  Warrior 
Princess,  so  beautiful  that  men  call  her  Flower  o'  the 
World.  She  has  the  Nightingale  Gisar  in  a  golden  cage 
hanging  in  her  own  chamber.  The  chamber  door  is 
guarded  by  a  lion  and  a  wolf  and  a  tiger  for  the  Flower 
b'  the  World  knows  that  she  will  have  to  marry  the  man 
who  steals  from  her  the  Nightingale  Gisar." 

"  How  can  a  man  enter  the  chamber  of  the  Flower 
o'  the  World? "  the  Youngest  Brother  asked. 

"  For  a  few  moments  at  midnight,"  the  sisters  told 
him,  "  the  three  animals  sleep.  During  those  few  mo- 
ments a  man  could  enter  the  chamber,  get  the  Night- 
ingale Gisar,  and  escape.  But  even  then  he  might  not 


184  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

be  safe  for  the  Flower  o'  the  World  might  gather  her 
army  together  and  pursue  him." 

"  Now  tell  me  how  to  reach  the  palace  of  that  War- 
rior Princess,  Flower  o'  the  World." 

"  You  could  never  get  there  alone,"  they  told  him, 
"  the  way  is  too  long  and  the  dangers  are  too  many. 
Stay  here  with  us  for  three  months  and  at  the  end  of 
three  months  we  will  carry  you  thither  on  our  wings." 

So  for  three  months  the  Youngest  Brother  stayed 
on  in  the  hut  with  the  old  woman  and  her  three  daugh- 
ters. The  three  daughters  flew  in  their  eagle  shirts  to 
the  spring  of  the  Water  of  Life  and  bathing  in  that 
magic  pool  they  made  grow  on  again  the  beak  and  the 
wing  and  the  leg  which  the  Youngest  Brother  had 
hacked  off. 

At  the  end  of  three  months  they  carried  the  Young- 
est Brother  on  their  wings  to  the  distant  kingdom  where 
the  Warrior  Princess,  Flower  o'  the  World,  lived. 

At  midnight  they  set  him  down  in  front  of  the  palace 
and  he  slipped  unseen  through  the  guards  at  the  gate 
and  through  the  halls  of  the  palace  to  the  Princess's 
own  chamber.  The  lion,  the  wolf,  and  the  tiger  were 
asleep  and  he  was  able  to  push  back  the  curtain  before 
which  they  were  lying  and  creep  up  to  the  Princess's 
very  bedside  without  being  discovered. 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  THE  MOSQUE         135 

He  looked  once  at  the  sleeping  Flower  o'  the  World 
and  she  was  so  beautiful  that  he  dared  not  look  again 
for  fear  he  should  forget  the  Nightingale  Gisar  and 
betray  himself  by  crying  out. 

At  the  head  of  the  bed  were  four  lighted  candles  and 
at  the  foot  four  unlighted  ones.  He  blew  out  the  lighted 
ones  and  lit  the  others.  Then  quickly  he  took  the  golden 
cage  in  which  the  Nightingale  Gisar  was  perched  asleep, 
unfastened  it  from  the  golden  chain  on  which  it  was 
hanging,  and  hurried  out.  The  eagles  were  waiting  for 
him  and  at  once  they  spread  their  wings  and  carried 
him  away. 

They  put  him  down  at  the  crossroads  where  he  had 
parted  from  his  brothers  just  one  year  before.  Then 
they  bade  him  farewell  and  flew  off  to  their  home  in  the 
desert. 

"  My  brothers  will  probably  be  here  in  an  hour  or 
so,"  the  Youngest  Son  thought.  "  I  had  better  wait 
for  them." 

He  felt  sleepy,  so  he  lay  down  by  the  roadside  and 
closed  his  eyes. 

While  he  slept  his  brothers  arrived  and  of  course  the 
first  thing  they  saw  was  the  golden  cage  and  the  Night- 
ingale Gisar. 

Then  envy  and  hatred  filled  their  hearts  and  they 


186  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

began  cursing  and  complaining  to  think  that  he  who 
was  the  Youngest  had  succeeded  where  they  had 
failed. 

"  We'll  be  the  laughing-stock  of  the  whole  country!  " 
they  said,  "  if  we  let  him  come  home  carrying  the  Night- 
ingale Gisar!  Let  us  take  the  bird  while  he  sleeps  and 
hurry  home  with  it.  Then  if  he  comes  home  later  and 
says  it  was  he  who  really  found  the  bird  no  one  will 
believe  him." 

So  they  beat  their  brother  into  insensibility  and  tore 
his  clothes  to  rags  to  make  him  think  that  he  had  been 
set  upon  by  robbers,  and  then  taking  the  golden  cage 
and  the  Nightingale  Gisar  they  hurried  home  and  pre- 
sented themselves  to  their  father,  the  Sultan. 

"Here,  O  father,"  they  said,  "is  the  Nightingale 
Gisar!  To  get  this  glorious  bird  for  you  we  have  en- 
dured all  the  perils  in  the  world!" 

"And  your  Youngest  Brother,"  the  Sultan  asked, 
"where  is  he?" 

"  The  Youngest?  Think  no  more  of  him,  father,  for 
he  is  unworthy  to  be  your  son.  Instead  of  searching 
the  wide  world  for  the  Nightingale  Gisar,  he  settled 
down  in  the  first  city  he  reached  and  lived  a  life  of  idle- 
ness and  ease.  Some  say  he  became  a  barber  and  some 
say  he  opened  a  coffee-house  and  spent  his  days  chat- 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  THE  MOSQUE         187 

ting  with  passing  travelers.  He  has  not  come  home 
with  us  for  no  doubt  it  shames  him  to  know  that  we  have 
succeeded  where  he  has  failed." 

The  Sultan  was  grieved  to  hear  this  evil  report  of  his 
Youngest  Son,  but  he  was  overjoyed  to  have  the  Night- 
ingale Gisar.  He  had  the  golden  cage  carried  to  the 
mosque  and  hung  beside  the  fountain  in  the  court. 

But  imagine  his  disappointment  when  the  bird  re- 
fused to  sing! 

"Let  him  who  found  the  Nightingale  come  to  the 
mosque,"  the  Dervish  said  in  his  droning  sing-song 
voice,  "  and  then  the  Nightingale  will  sing." 

The  Sultan  immediately  sent  for  his  two  sons.  They 
came  but  still  the  bird  was  silent. 

"  See  now,"  the  Sultan  said,  "  my  two  sons  are  here 
and  yet  the  bird  is  silent." 

But  the  Dervish  would  only  repeat: 

"  Let  him  who  found  the  Nightingale  come  to  the 
mosque  and  then  the  Nightingale  will  sing." 

The  next  day  a  youth  in  rags  whom  nobody  knew 
entered  the  mosque  to  pray  and  instantly  the  Nightin- 
gale began  to  sing. 

A  messenger  was  sent  running  to  the  Sultan  with 
the  news  that  the  Nightingale  was  singing.  The  Sul- 
tan hurried  to  the  mosque  but  by  the  time  he  got  there 


188  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

the  beggar  youth  was  gone  and  the  Nightingale  had 
stopped  singing. 

"  Now  that  I'm  here,"  cried  the  Sultan,  "  why  does 
the  bird  not  sing? " 

The  Dervish,  swaying  his  body  gently  back  and  forth, 
made  answer  as  before: 

"  Let  him  who  found  the  Nightingale  come  to  the 
mosque  and  then  the  Nightingale  will  sing." 

Thereafter  every  day  when  the  beggar  youth  came 
to  the  mosque  to  pray  the  Nightingale  sang,  and  always 
when  the  Sultan  approached  the  beggar  walked  away 
and  the  bird  stopped  singing.  At  last  people  began 
whispering: 

"  Strange  that  the  Nightingale  should  sing  only  when 
that  beggar  youth  is  near!  And  yet  the  Dervish  says 
it  will  not  sing  unless  he  who  found  it  comes  to  the 
mosque!  What  can  he  mean?  " 

Report  of  the  beggar  youth  reached  the  ears  of  the 
Sultan  and  he  went  to  the  Dervish  and  questioned  him. 

"  Why  do  you  say  that  the  Nightingale  Gisar  will  not 
sing  unless  he  who  found  him  comes  to  the  mosque  ?  Lo, 
here  are  my  two  sons  who  found  him  and  the  bird  re- 
mains silent,  yet  people  tell  me  that  when  a  certain  beg- 
gar comes  to  the  mosque  he  sings.  Why  does  he  not 
sing  when  I  and  my  two  sons  come  to  pray?  " 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  THE  MOSQUE         189 

And  always  the  Dervish  made  the  same  answer  in 
the  same  sing-song  voice: 

"  Let  him  who  found  the  Nightingale  come  to  the 
mosque  and  then  the  Nightingale  will  sing." 

Soon  a  terrifying  rumor  spread  through  the  land 
that  a  great  Warrior  Princess  called  Flower  o'  the 
World  was  coming  with  a  mighty  army  to  make  war 
on  the  Sultan  and  to  destroy  his  city.  Her  army  far 
outnumbered  the  Sultan's  and  when  she  encamped  in 
a  broad  valley  over  against  the  city  the  Sultan's  people, 
seeing  her  mighty  hosts,  were  filled  with  dread  and  be- 
sought their  ruler  to  make  peace  with  the  Princess  at 
any  cost.  So  the  Sultan  called  his  heralds  and  sent 
them  to  her  and  through  them  he  said: 

"  Demand  of  me  what  you  will  even  to  my  life  but 
spare  my  city." 

The  Warrior  Princess  returned  this  answer: 

"  I  will  spare  you  and  your  city  provided  you  deliver 
me  your  son  who  stole  from  me  the  Nightingale  Gisar. 
Him  I  shall  have  executed  or  let  live  as  it  pleases 


me." 


Now  the  Sultan's  two  sons  knew  that  the  Flower  o' 
the  World  was  fated  to  marry  the  man  who  had  stolen 
from  her  the  Nightingale  Gisar,  so  when  they  heard 
the  Princess's  demand  they  were  overjoyed  thinking 


190  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

that  she  would  have  to  fall  in  love  with  one  of  them. 
So  they  disputed  at  great  length  as  to  which  of  them 
had  done  the  actual  deed  of  taking  the  bird,  each  in- 
sisting that  it  was  he  and  not  his  brother.  The  Sultan 
himself  had  finally  to  decide  between  them. 

"  You  have  told  me,"  he  said,  "  that  you  captured 
the  bird  together.  As  that  is  the  case  and  as  I  can't 
send  you  both  to  the  Warrior  Princess  it  is  only  right 
that  the  older  should  go." 

So  under  a  splendid  escort  the  oldest  son  rode  to 
the  tent  of  the  Warrior  Princess.  She  bade  him  enter 
alone  and  when  he  appeared  before  her  she  looked  at 
him  long  and  steadily.  Then  she  said: 

"Nay,  but  you  are  never  the  man  who  stole  from 
me  the  Nightingale  Gisar!  You  would  lack  the  cour- 
age to  face  the  perils  of  the  way! " 

The  oldest  prince  answered  the  Flower  o'  the  World 
craftily : 

"  But  how,  Princess,  if  I  did  not  steal  from  you  the 
Nightingale  Gisar  was  I  then  able  to  bring  back  that 
glorious  bird  and  hang  his  cage  beside  the  fountain 
in  the  mosque?  " 

But  Flower  o'  the  World  was  not  to  be  deceived 
by  such  specious  words. 

"  Tell  me  then,"  she  said,  "  if  it  was  you  who  stole 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  THE  MOSQUE         191S 

my  glorious  Nightingale,  where  did  you  find  him  hang- 
ing in  his  golden  cage?  " 

The  oldest  prince  could  not  answer  this,  so  he  said 
at  random: 

"  I  found  his  golden  cage  hanging  in  the  cypress 
tree  that  grows  in  the  garden  of  your  palace." 

"  Enough !  "  cried  the  Princess. 

She  clapped  her  hands  and  when  her  guards  appeared 
she  said  to  them: 

"  Have  this  man  executed  at  once  and  let  his  head  be 
sent  to  the  Sultan  with  the  message :  This  is  the  head  of 
a  liar  and  a  coward!  Send  me  at  once  your  son  who 
stole  my  glorious  Nightingale  Gisar  or  I  will  march 
against  your  city! 3i 

The  Sultan  was  greatly  shocked  to  receive  this  mes- 
sage together  with  the  head  of  his  oldest  son. 

"  Alas!  "  he  cried,  calling  his  second  son,  "  would  that 
I  had  listened  to  you  when  you  insisted  that  it  was  you 
and  not  your  brother  who  actually  did  the  deed!  Un- 
happily I  listened  to  your  brother!  See  now  the  awful 
result  of  this  mistake!  Go  you  now  to  this  heartless 
Princess  whom  men  call  Flower  o'  the  World  or  else 
our  poor  defenseless  city  will  have  to  pay  the  penalty." 

So  the  second  prince  was  taken  to  the  tent  of  the 
Warrior  Maiden  and  she  put  to  him  the  same  questions 


192  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

and  he  fared  even  worse  than  his  brother  had  fared. 
So  his  head,  too,  was  sent  to  the  Sultan  with  this 
message  : 

ee  Send  me  no  more  liars  and  cowards  but  the  son  who 
actually  did  steal  from  me  my  glorious  Nightingale 
Gisar." 

In  despair  the  Sultan  went  to  the  mosque  to  pray. 
As  he  bowed  his  head  he  heard  the  Nightingale  burst 
forth  in  song.  Then  when  he  looked  up  he  saw  a  beg- 
gar youth  standing  near  the  fountain. 

When  his  prayers  were  finished  the  Sultan  went  out- 
side to  the  Dervish  and  said  to  him: 

"  The  Warrior  Princess,  Flower  o'  the  World,  de- 
mands that  I  send  her  another  son.  I  know  not  where 
my  Third  Son  is.  What  shall  I  do?" 

Without  looking  at  the  Sultan  the  Dervish  answered 
in  his  sing-song  voice: 

"  Send  her  the  son  for  whom  the  Nightingale  sings." 

The  Sultan  turned  away  in  disappointment,  not  un- 
derstanding what  the  Dervish  meant,  but  one  of  his 
attendants  plucked  his  sleeve  and  whispered: 

"  The  Nightingale  sings  for  yonder  beggar  youth. 
Perhaps  it  is  he  the  Dervish  means.  Why  not  ask  him 
if  he  will  go  to  Flower  o'  the  World  in  place  of  your 
Youngest  Son? " 


The  Flower  o'  the  World  Asleep 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  THE  MOSQUE         195 

The  Sultan  nodded,  so  the  attendant  called  the  beg- 
gar youth  and  the  Sultan  asked  him  would  he  go  to  the 
Warrior  Princess  as  the  Youngest  Prince. 

"Allah  alone  knows  where  my  Youngest  Son 
is,"  the  Sultan  said,  "  but  he  is  just  about  your 
age  and  if  you  were  washed  and  anointed  and 
dressed  in  fitting  garments  you  would  not  be  unlike 
him." 

The  beggar  youth  said  he  would  go  but  he  insisted 
on  going  just  as  he  was.  The  Sultan  begged  him  to 
go  dressed  as  a  prince  or  the  Flower  o'  the  World  might 
not  receive  him. 

"  No,"  said  the  youth,  "  I  shall  go  as  a  beggar  or 
not  at  all.  It  is  for  the  Flower  o'  the  World  to  know 
me  whether  or  not  I  am  the  Sultan's  Youngest  Son 
and  the  man  who  stole  from  her  the  Nightingale 
Gisar." 

So  he  went  as  he  was  to  the  tent  of  the  Flower  o'  the 
World  and  her  warriors  when  they  saw  him  coming 
said  to  the  Princess: 

"  This  Sultan  mocks  you  and  sends  you  a  beggar 
when  you  demand  his  Third  Son." 

But  the  Flower  o'  the  World  ordered  them  all  out 
and  bade  the  beggar  enter  alone.  She  looked  at  him 
long  and  steadily  and  she  saw  through  his  rags  that 


196  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

he  was  indeed  a  noble  youth  with  a  body  made  strong 
and  beautiful  through  exercise  and  toil  and  she  thought 
to  herself: 

"  It  were  not  a  hard  fate  to  marry  this  youth!  " 

Then  she  questioned  him: 

"  Are  you  the  Sultan's  Third  Son? " 

"  I  am." 

"  Then  why  are  you  dressed  as  a  beggar? " 

"  Because  I  was  set  upon  at  the  crossroads  and 
beaten  insensible  and  my  clothes  torn  to  rags.  I  was 
coming  home  with  the  Nightingale  Gisar  in  my  hands 
and  I  lay  down  at  the  roadside  to  rest  while  I  awaited 
the  coming  of  my  brothers.  When  I  awoke  to  con- 
sciousness the  Nightingale  and  its  golden  cage  were 
gone.  I  came  home  to  my  father's  city  as  a  beggar 
and  there  they  told  me  that  my  brothers  had  come  just 
before  me  bringing  with  them  the  Nightingale  and 
boasting  of  the  perils  they  had  been  through  and  the 
dangers  they  had  faced.  But  the  Nightingale,  they 
told  me,  hanging  in  its  golden  cage  beside  the  foun- 
tain, was  silent.  Yet  when  I  went  to  the  mosque  it 
always  sang." 

The  Warrior  Princess  looked  deep  into  his  eyes  and 
knew  that  he  was  speaking  truth.  Her  heart  was 
touched  with  compassion  at  the  wrong  he  had  suffered 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  THE  MOSQUE         197 

from  his  brothers,  but  she  hid  her  feelings  and  ques- 
tioned him  further. 

"  Then  it  was  you,"  she  said,  "  who  really  took  from 
me  my  glorious  Nightingale  Gisar? " 

"  Yes,  Princess,  it  was.  I  crept  past  the  lion  and 
the  wolf  and  the  tiger  just  after  midnight  while  they 
slept.  I  blew  out  the  four  candles  at  the  head  of  your 
bed  and  lighted  those  at  the  foot.  The  golden  cage 
of  the  Nightingale  was  hanging  from  a  golden  chain. 
Before  I  unfastened  it  I  looked  at  you  once,  as  you 
lay  sleeping,  and  dared  not  look  a  second  time." 

"Why  not?"  the  Princess  asked. 

"  Because,  O  Flower  o'  the  World,  you  were  so  beau- 
tiful that  I  feared,  were  I  to  look  again,  I  should  for- 
get the  Nightingale  Gisar  and  cry  out  in  ecstacy." 

Then  the  compassion  in  the  Princess's  heart  changed 
to  love  and  she  knew  for  a  certainty  that  this  was  the 
man  she  was  fated  to  wed. 

She  clapped  her  hands  and  when  the  guards  came  in 
she  said  to  them: 

"  Call  my  warriors  together  that  I  may  show  them 
the  Sultan's  Youngest  Son  and  the  man  who  stole  from 
me  my  glorious  Nightingale  Gisar  and  whom  I  am  fated 
to  wed." 

So  the  warriors  came  in  until  they  crowded  the  tent 


198  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

to  its  utmost.  Then  the  Princess  stood  up  and  took 
the  Sultan's  Youngest  Son  by  the  hand  and  presented 
him  to  the  warriors  and  told  them  of  his  great  bravery 
and  courage  and  of  all  the  perils  he  had  endured  in 
order  to  get  the  Nightingale  Gisar  for  his  father's 
mosque. 

"  He  came  to  me  now  as  a  beggar,"  she  said,  "  but  I 
knew  him  at  once  for  truth  was  in  his  mouth  and  cour- 
age in  his  eye.  Behold,  O  warriors,  your  future  lord!  " 

Then  the  warriors  waved  their  swords  and  cried: 

"  Long  live  the  Flower  o'  the  World !  Long  live  the 
Sultan's  Youngest  Son!  " 

All  the  Princess's  army  when  they  heard  the  news 
raised  such  a  mighty  shout  that  the  people  in  the  Sul- 
tan's city  heard  and  were  filled  with  dread  not  knowing 
what  it  meant.  But  soon  they  knew  and  then  they,  too, 
went  mad  with  joy  that  what  had  threatened  to  be  a 
war  was  turning  to  a  wedding! 

The  Flower  o'  the  World  and  her  chief  warriors  and 
with  them  the  Youngest  Prince  rode  slowly  to  the  city. 
The  Prince  was  now  dressed  as  befitted  his  rank  and 
the  Sultan  when  he  saw  him  recognized  him  at  once. 

"Allah  be  praised!"  he  cried,  "  my  Youngest  Son 
lives!" 

Then  they  told  him  all — how  it  was  this  Prince  and 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  THE  MOSQUE         199 

not  the  older  brothers  who  had  found  the  Nightingale 
Gisar  and  how  the  older  brothers  had  robbed  him  of 
his  prize  and  beaten  him  insensible. 

When  the  Sultan  heard  how  wicked  his  older  sons 
had  been  his  grief  for  their  death  was  assuaged. 

"  Allah  be  praised,"  he  said,  "  that  I  have  at  least  one 
son  who  is  worthy !  " 

After  the  betrothal  ceremony  the  Sultan  and  the 
Youngest  Prince  went  to  the  mosque  to  pray.  While 
they  prayed  the  Nightingale  sang  so  gloriously  that  it 
seemed  to  them  they  were  no  longer  on  earth  but  in 
Paradise. 

When  their  prayers  were  finished  and  they  were  pass- 
ing out,  the  Dervish  raised  his  sing-song  voice  and  said: 

"  Now  indeed  is  the  Sultan's  Mosque  the  most  beauti- 
ful Mosque  in  the  World  for  the  Nightingale  Gisar 
sings  beside  the  Fountain !  " 


THE  GIRL  IN  THE  CHEST 


The  Story  of  the  Third  Sister  Who  Was  Brave  and  Good 


THE  GIRL  IN  THE  CHEST 

THERE  was  once  a  horrible  Vampire  who  took 
the  form  of  a  handsome  young  man  and  went 
to  the  house  of  an  old  woman  who  had  three  daughters 
and  pretended  he  wanted  to  marry  the  oldest. 

"  I  live  far  from  here,"  the  Vampire  said.  "  I  own 
my  own  farm  and  am  well-to-do  and  in  marrying  me 
your  daughter  would  get  a  desirable  husband.  In- 
deed, I  am  so  well  off  that  I  don't  have  to  ask  any 
dowry." 

Now  the  old  woman  was  so  poor  that  she  couldn't 
have  given  a  penny  of  dowry.  That  was  the  only  reason 
why  all  three  of  her  daughters  hadn't  long  ago  been 
married  to  youths  of  their  own  village.  So  when  the 
stranger  said  he  would  require  no  dowry,  the  old  woman 
whispered  to  her  oldest  daughter: 

"  He  seems  to  be  all  right.  Perhaps  you  had  better 
take  him." 

The  poor  girl  accepted  her  mother's  advice  and  that 
afternoon  started  off  with  the  Vampire  who  said  he 
would  lead  her  home  and  marry  her. 

They  walked  a  great  distance  and  as  evening  came 

203 


204  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

on  they  reached  a  wild  ghostly  spot  which  frightened 
the  girl  half  to  death. 

"  This  way,  my  dear/'  the  Vampire  said,  pushing  her 
into  an  opening  in  the  earth.  "  We  take  this  under- 
ground passage  and  soon  we'll  be  home." 

The  passage  led  to  a  sort  of  cave  which  really  was 
the  Vampire's  home. 

"  What  an  awful  place! "  the  poor  girl  cried  in  ter- 
ror. "Let  me  out!" 

"  Let  you  out,  indeed!  "  the  Vampire  sneered,  taking 
his  own  horrible  shape  and  laughing  cruelly.  "  Here 
you  are  and  here  you  stay  and  if  you  don't  do  every- 
thing I  tell  you,  I'll  soon  finish  you!  Here  now,  drink 
this." 

He  offered  the  poor  girl  a  pitcher  and  when  she  saw 
what  was  in  it  she  nearly  fainted  with  horror. 

"  No!  "  she  cried.    "  I  won't!    I  won't!  " 

"  If  you  don't  drink  this,"  the  Vampire  said,  darkly, 
44  then  I'll  drink  you!" 

And  with  that  he  killed  her  with  no  more  feeling 
than  if  she  were  a  fly. 

Then  in  a  short  time  he  went  back  to  the  old  woman 
and  said: 

"  Dear  mother,  my  poor  wife  is  ill  and  she  begs  that 
'you  send  her  your  second  daughter  to  nurse  her.  She 


THE  GIRL  IN  THE  CHEST  205 

asks  for  her  sister  night  and  day  and  I  fear  she  will  die 
unless  she  sees  her." 

When  the  poor  old  mother  heard  this,  she  begged  the 
second  daughter  to  go  at  once  with  the  young  man 
and  nurse  her  sick  sister. 

Well,  the  same  thing  happened  to  the  second  sister 
and  in  no  time  at  all  the  Vampire  had  killed  her,  too, 
to  satisfy  his  awful  thirst. 

Then  he  returned  again  to  the  old  mother  and  this 
time  he  pretended  that  both  sisters  were  sick  and  were 
crying  for  the  third  sister  to  come  and  nurse  them.  So 
the  poor  old  woman  sent  her  Youngest  Daughter  away 
with  the  Vampire. 

The  Youngest  Sister  when  she  found  out  the  truth 
about  the  horrid  Vampire  didn't  sit  down  and  weep 
helplessly  as  the  others  had  done  and  wait  for  the  Vam- 
pire to  kill  her,  but  she  prayed  God's  help  and  then 
tried  to  find  some  way  of  escape. 

There  were  doors  in  the  cave  which  the  Vampire  told 
her  were  doors  to  closets  she  must  not  enter.  When 
the  Vampire  was  out  she  opened  these  doors  and  found 
that  they  all  led  into  long  underground  passages. 

'  This  is  my  one  chance  to  get  back  to  earth!  "  the 
girl  thought  and  commending  her  undertaking  to  God 
she  fled  down  one  of  the  passages. 


206  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

You  may  be  sure  the  Vampire  when  he  came  back 
and  found  her  gone  fell  into  a  great  rage.  He  went 
running  wildly  up  and  down  the  various  passages  and 
lost  so  much  time  searching  the  wrong  passages  that 
the  girl  was  able  to  make  good  her  escape  and  reach  the 
upper  world  in  safety. 

She  came  out  in  a  wood  with  no  sign  of  human  habita- 
tion anywhere  in  sight. 

"What  shall  I  do  now? "  she  thought.  "  If  I  stay 
here  alone  and  unprotected  some  wild  beast  or  evil  crea- 
ture may  get  me." 

So  she  knelt  down  and  prayed  God  to  give  her  a 
chest  that  she  could  lock  from  the  inside  with  one  of 
her  own  golden  hairs  so  securely  that  no  one  could  force 
it  open.  God  heard  her  prayer  and  presently  behind 
some  bushes  she  found  just  such  a  chest.  When  it 
grew  dark  and  she  was  ready  to  go  to  bed,  she  crept 
into  the  chest,  locked  it  with  a  hair,  and  slept  peace- 
fully knowing  that  nothing  could  harm  her. 

So  she  lived  in  the  wood  some  time,  eating  berries 
and  fruits,  and  sleeping  safely  in  the  chest. 

Now  it  so  happened  that  the  King's  son  one  morn- 
ing went  hunting  in  this  very  wood  and  caught  a  glimpse 
of  the  girl  as  she  was  gathering  berries.  He  thought 
he  had  never  seen  such  a  beautiful  creature  and  in- 


THE  GIRL  IN  THE  CHEST  207 

stantly  he  fell  in  love  with  her.  But  when  he  reached 
the  clump  of  bushes  where  he  had  seen  her,  she  was 
gone.  He  called  his  huntsmen  together  and  told  them 
to  search  everywhere.  They  hunted  for  hours  and  all 
they  could  find  was  a  chest.  They  tried  to  open  the 
chest  to  see  what  was  in  it  but  couldn't. 

"  Waste  no  more  time  over  it,"  the  Prince  said  at 
last.  "  Carry  it  home  to  the  palace  as  it  is  and  have 
it  placed  in  my  chamber." 

The  huntsmen  did  this  and  a  few  hours  later  when 
the  girl  peeped  out  of  her  chest  she  found  herself  alone 
in  the  Prince's  chamber.  His  supper  was  standing  on 
a  table  in  readiness  for  his  coming.  The  girl  ate  the 
supper  and  was  safely  back  in  her  chest  before  he  ar- 
rived. When  he  did  come  the  Prince  was  amazed  to 
see  empty  plates  and  called  the  servants  to  know  who 
liad  eaten  his  supper.  The  servants  were  as  much  sur- 
prised as  the  Prince  and  declared  that  no  one  had  en- 
tered the  chamber. 

The  same  thing  happened  the  next  day  and  the  fol- 
lowing day  the  Prince  had  one  of  his  servants  hide  be- 
hind the  curtains  and  watch  to  find  out  if  possible  how 
the  food  disappeared. 

The  story  the  servant  had  to  tell  of  what  he  saw 
was  so  thrilling  that  the  Prince  could  scarcely  wait 


208  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

for  the  next  day  when  he  himself  hid  behind  the  cur- 
tains and  watched. 

The  serving  people  put  the  food  on  the  table  and 
retired  and  presently  the  lid  of  the  chest  opened  and 
the  Prince  saw  the  beautiful  maiden  of  the  wood  step 
out.  When  she  sat  down  at  the  table  the  Prince  slipped 
up  behind  her  and  caught  her  in  his  arms. 

"  You  lovely  creature!  "  he  said,  "I'm  not  going  to 
let  you  escape  me  again!  " 

At  first  the  girl  was  greatly  frightened  but  the  Prince 
reassured  her,  telling  her  that  he  loved  her  dearly  and 
only  wanted  to  make  her  his  wife. 

He  led  her  at  once  to  the  King,  his  father,  and  the 
girl  was  so  modest  and  lovely  that  the  King  soon  agreed 
to  the  marriage. 

Everybody  in  court  was  delighted — everybody,  that 
is,  but  the  Chamberlain  who  had  had  hopes  of  marry- 
ing his  own  daughter  to  the  Prince.  His  daughter  was 
an  ugly  ill-tempered  girl  and  the  Prince  had  never  once 
even  looked  at  her.  The  Chamberlain  was  sure,  how- 
ever, that  with  a  little  more  time  he  could  arrange  the 
match  to  his  liking.  So  the  appearance  of  this  beautiful 
girl  who  came  from  Heaven  knows  where  threw  him 
into  a  fearful  rage  and  he  decided  to  do  away  with  her 
at  any  cost.  Now  he  had  in  his  employ  a  great  burly 


The  Chest  Opened  and  the  Prince  Saw  the  Beautiful  Maiden 


THE  GIRL  IN  THE  CHEST  211 

Blackamoor.  He  called  this  fellow  to  him  and  he  told 
him  that  he  must  kidnap  the  girl  at  once  and  kill  her. 
The  Blackamoor  who  was  accustomed  to  do  such  deeds 
for  the  Chamberlain  nodded  and  said  he  would. 

So  when  the  palace  was  quiet  that  night  he  stole  to 
the  bedchamber  where  the  girl  was  lying  asleep,  threw 
a  great  robe  over  her  head  to  stifle  her  cries,  and  car- 
ried her  off.  She  fainted  away  from  fright  and  the 
Blackamoor  thinking  her  dead  tossed  her  into  a  field 
of  nettles  in  the  outskirts  of  the  town. 

Now,  as  you  can  imagine,  in  the  morning  there  was 
a  great  uproar  in  the  palace  when  it  was  discovered  that 
the  Prince's  beautiful  bride-to-be  had  disappeared. 
The  Prince  was  utterly  grief-stricken  and  refused  to 
eat.  The  King  and  all  the  ladies  of  the  court  tried  their 
best  to  comfort  him  but  he  turned  away  from  them  de- 
claring he  would  die  if  his  bride  were  not  restored  to 
him. 

The  rascally  Chamberlain  put  his  handkerchief  to 
his  eyes  and  pretended  to  weep  he  was  so  affected 
by  the  sight  of  the  Prince's  grief. 

"  My  dear  boy,"  he  said,  "  I  would  that  I  could  find 
this  maiden  for  you!  It  breaks  my  heart  to  see  you 
sad  and  unhappy!  But  I'm  sorry  to  tell  you  that  I 
fear  she  was  a  Vila  and  not  a  human  maiden  at  all. 


212  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

You  know  how  mysteriously  she  came,  and  now  she's 
gone  just  as  mysteriously.  So  put  the  thought  of  her 
out  of  your  mind  and  I'm  sure  you'll  soon  find  a  human 
maiden  who  is  worthy  of  your  love.  Come  here,  my 
daughter,  and  tell  the  Prince  how  sorry  you  are  that 
he  is  in  grief." 

But  the  sight  of  the  Chamberlain's  ugly  daughter 
only  made  the  Prince  long  the  more  for  the  beautiful 
girl  who  was  gone. 

She  meantime  had  found  refuge  in  the  hut  of  an  old 
woman  who  had  heard  her  groan  in  the  early  dawn 
when  she  lay  among  the  nettles  and  had  taken  com- 
passion on  her. 

"  You  may  stay  with  me  until  you're  well,"  the  old 
woman  said. 

The  girl  was  young  and  healthy  and  in  a  day  or  two 
had  recovered  the  ill  treatment  she  had  suffered  at  the 
hands  of  the  Blackamoor. 

'Won't  you  let  me  live  with  you  awhile,  granny?  " 
she  said  to  the  old  woman.  "  I'll  cook  and  scrub  and 
work  and  you  won't  have  to  regret  the  little  I  eat." 

"  Can  you  cook?  Because  if  you  can  perhaps  you 
know  a  dish  that  would  tempt  the  appetite  of  our  poor 
young  Prince,"  the  old  woman  said.  "  You  know  the 
poor  boy  has  had  a  terrible  disappointment  in  love  and 


THE  GIRL  IN  THE  CHEST  213 

he  refuses  to  eat.  The  heralds  were  out  this  morning 
proclaiming  that  the  King  would  richly  reward  any 
one  who  could  prepare  a  dish  that  would  tempt  the 
Prince's  appetite." 

"  Granny!  "  the  girl  said,  "  I  know  a  wonderful  way 
to  prepare  beans!  Let  me  cook  a  dish  of  beans  and 
do  you  carry  them  to  the  palace." 

So  the  girl  cooked  the  beans  and  placed  them  pret- 
tily in  a  dish  and  on  one  side  of  the  dish  she  put  a  tiny 
little  ringlet  of  her  own  golden  hair. 

"  If  he  sees  the  hair,"  she  thought  to  herself,  "  he'll 
know  the  beans  are  from  me." 

And  that's  exactly  what  happened.  To  please  his 
father  the  Prince  had  consented  to  look  at  every  dish 
as  it  came.  He  had  already  looked  at  hundreds  of 
them  before  the  old  woman  arrived  and  turned  away 
from  them  all.  Then  the  old  woman  came.  As  she 
passed  before  the  Prince,  she  lifted  the  cover  of  the 
dish,  held  it  towards  him,  and  curtsied.  The  Prince 
was  just  about  to  turn  away  when  he  saw  the  tiny 
ringlet  of  hair. 

"Oh!"  he  said.  "Wait  a  minute!  Those  beans 
look  good !  " 

To  the  King's  delight  he  took  the  dish  out  of  the 
old  woman's  hand,  examined  it  carefully,  and  when  no 


214  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

one  was  looking  slipped  the  ringlet  into  his  pocket. 
Then  he  ate  the  beans — every  last  one  of  them! 

The  King  gave  the  old  woman  some  golden  ducats 
and  begged  her  to  prepare  another  dish  for  the  Prince 
on  the  morrow. 

So  the  next  day  the  girl  again  sent  a  tiny  ringlet 
of  her  hair  on  the  side  of  the  plate  and  again  the  Prince 
after  scorning  all  the  other  food  offered  him  took  the 
old  woman's  dish  and  ate  it  clean. 

On  the  third  day  the  Prince  engaged  the  old  woman 
in  conversation. 

"Where  do  you  live,  granny?" 

"  In  a  little  tumble-down  house  beside  the  nettles," 
she  told  him. 

"  Do  you  live  alone?  " 

"  Just  now,"  the  old  woman  said,  "  I  have  a  dear 
girl  living  with  me.  I  found  her  one  morning 
lying  in  the  nettles  where  some  ruffians  had  left  her 
for  dead.  She's  a  good  girl  and  she  scrubs  and  bakes 
and  cooks  for  me  and  lets  me  rest  my  poor  old  bones." 

Now  the  Prince  knew  what  he  wanted  to  know. 

"  Granny,"  he  said,  "  to-morrrow's  Sunday.  Now  I 
want  you  to  stay  home  in  the  afternoon  because  I'm 
coming  to  see  you." 

In  great  excitement  the  old  woman  hurried  home 


THE  GIRL  IN  THE  CHEST  215 

and  told  the  girl  that  the  Prince  was  coming  to  see  them 
on  Sunday  afternoon. 

"  He  mustn't  see  me!  "  the  girl  said.  "  I'll  hide  in 
the  bread  trough  under  a  cloth  and  if  he  goes  looking 
for  me  you  tell  him  that  I've  gone  out." 

"Foolish  child!  "  the  old  woman  said.  "  Why  should 
you  hide  from  a  handsome  young  man  like  the  Prince?  " 

But  the  girl  insisted  and  at  last  when  Sunday  after- 
noon came  the  old  woman  was  forced  to  let  her  lie  down 
in  the  bread  trough  and  cover  her  with  a  cloth. 
,  The  Prince  arrived  and  when  he  found  the  old  woman 
there  alone  he  was  mightily  disappointed. 

'  Where's  that  girl  who  lives  with  you?  "  he  asked. 

"  She's  gone  out,"  the  old  woman  said. 

"  Then  I  think  I'll  wait  till  she  comes  back." 

This  made  the  old  woman  feel  nervous. 

"  But,  my  Prince,  I  don't  know  when  she's  coming 
back." 

Just  then  the  Prince  thought  he  saw  something  move 
in  the  bread  trough. 

'  What's  that   lumpy  thing  in  the   bread   trough, 
granny? " 

"That?     Oh,   that's  just  dough  that's  rising,   my 
Prince.    I'm  baking  to-day." 

"  Then  make  me  a  loaf,  granny.     I'll  wait  for  it 


216  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

until  it  rises  and  until  you  bake  it.  Then  I'll  eat  it  hot 
out  of  the  oven." 

What  was  the  old  woman  to  say  to  that?  She  fussed 
and  fidgeted  and  thought  again  what  a  foolish  young 
girl  that  was  to  be  hiding  in  the  bread  trough  when 
there  was  a  handsome  young  Prince  in  the  room. 

"  I  don't  know  why  that  dough  doesn't  rise,"  she 
remarked  at  last. 

"  Perhaps  there's  something  the  matter  with  it,"  the 
Prince  said. 

Before  the  old  woman  could  stop  him,  he  jumped 
up,  tossed  the  cloth  aside,  and  there  was  his  lovely 
bride ! 

"Why  are  you  hiding  from  me?"  he  asked  as  he 
lifted  her  up  and  kissed  her  tenderly. 

"  Because  I  knew  if  you  really  loved  me  you  would 
find  me,"  she  said. 

"  Now  that  I  have  found  you,"  the  Prince  declared, 
"  I  shall  never  let  you  leave  me  again." 

Then  the  girl  told  the  Prince  about  the  wicked  Cham- 
berlain and  the  Blackamoor  and  it  was  all  she  and  the 
old  woman  could  do  to  keep  the  Prince  from  drawing 
his  sword  and  rushing  out  instantly  to  kill  both  of  them. 

The  old  woman  begged  the  Prince  to  take  the  girl 
secretly  to  the  King  and  have  the  King  hear  her  story, 


THE  GIRL  IN  THE  CHEST  217 

and  then  let  him  pass  judgment  on  the  Chamberlain 
according  to  the  laws  of  the  land.  At  last  the  Prince 
agreed  to  this. 

So  they  covered  the  girl's  head  with  a  veil  and  took 
her  to  the  King.  When  the  King  heard  her  story  he 
called  the  court  together  at  once  and  told  them  the 
outrage  that  had  been  committed  against  his  son's  prom- 
ised bride.  He  commanded  that  the  murderous  Blacka- 
moor be  executed  the  next  day  and  he  decreed  that  the 
Chamberlain  and  his  wicked  daughter  be  stripped  of 
their  lands  and  riches  and  sent  into  exile. 

Let  us  hope  that  exile  taught  them  the  evil  of  their 
ways  and  made  them  repent. 

As  for  the  girl,  she  married  the  Prince  and  they  lived 
together  in  great  happiness.  And  she  deserved  to  be 
happy,  too,  for  she  was  a  brave  birl  and  a  good  girl  and 
God  loves  people  who  are  brave  and  good  and  blesses 
them. 


THE  WONDERFUL  HAIR 


The  Story  of  a  Poor  Man  Who  Dreamed  of  an  Angel 


THE  WONDERFUL  HAIR 

THERE  was  cnce  a  poor  man  who  had  so  many 
children  that  he  was  at  his  wit's  end  how  to  feed 
them  all  and  clothe  them. 

"  Unless  something  turns  up  soon,"  he  thought  to 
himself,  "  we  shall  all  starve  to  death.  Poor  young- 
sters— I'm  almost  tempted  to  kill  them  with  my  own 
hands  to  save  them  from  suffering  the  pangs  of  him- 
ger!" 

That  night  before  he  went  to  sleep  he  prayed  God 
to  give  him  help.  God  heard  his  prayer  and  sent  an 
angel  to  him  in  a  dream. 

The  angel  said  to  him: 

'  To-morrow  morning  when  you  wake,  put  your  hand 
under  your  pillow  and  you  will  find  a  mirror,  a  red  hand- 
kerchief, and  an  embroidered  scarf.  Without  saying 
a  word  to  any  one  hide  these  things  in  your  shirt  and 
go  out  to  the  woods  that  lie  beyond  the  third  hill  from 
the  village.  There  you  will  find  a  brook.  Follow  it 
until  you  come  to  a  beautiful  maiden  who  is  bathing  in 
its  waters.  You  will  know  her  from  the  great  masses 

of  golden  hair  that  fall  down  over  her  shoulders.    She 

221 


222  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

will  speak  to  you  but  do  you  be  careful  not  to  answer. 
If  you  say  a  word  to  her  she  will  be  able  to  bewitch 
you.  She  will  hold  out  a  comb  to  you  and  ask  you  to 
comb  her  hair.  Take  the  comb  and  do  as  she  asks.  Then 
part  her  back  hair  carefully  and  you  will  see  one  hair 
that  is  coarser  than  the  others  and  as  red  as  blood. 
Wrap  this  firmly  around  one  of  your  fingers  and  jerk 
it  out.  Then  flee  as  fast  as  you  can.  She  will  pursue 
you  and  each  time  as  she  is  about  to  overtake  you  drop 
first  the  embroidered  scarf,  then  the  red  handkerchief, 
and  last  the  mirror.  If  you  reach  the  hill  nearest  your 
own  village  you  are  safe  for  she  can  pursue  you  no 
farther.  Take  good  care  of  the  single  hair  for  it  is  of 
great  value  and  you  can  sell  it  for  many  golden  ducats." 

In  the  morning  when  the  poor  man  awoke  and  put 
his  hand  under  his  pillow  he  found  the  mirror  and  the 
handkerchief  and  the  scarf  just  as  the  angel  had  said 
he  would.  So  he  hid  them  carefully  in  his  shirt  and 
without  telling  any  one  where  he  was  going  he  went 
to  the  woods  beyond  the  third  hill  from  the  village. 
Here  he  found  the  brook  and  followed  it  until  he  came 
to  a  pool  where  he  saw  a  lovely  maiden  bathing. 

"  Good  day  to  you! '   she  said  politely. 

The  poor  man  remembering  the  angel's  warning  made 
no  answer. 


The  Mirror,  the  Handkerchief,  and  the  Embroidered  Scarf 


THE  WONDERFUL  HAIR  225 

The  maiden  held  out  a  golden  comb. 

"  Please  comb  my  hair  for  me,  won't  you?  " 

The  man  nodded  and  took  the  comb.  Then  he  parted 
the  long  tresses  behind  and  and  searched  here  and  there 
and  everywhere  until  he  found  the  one  hair  that  was 
blood-red  in  color  and  coarser  than  the  others.  He 
twisted  this  firmly  around  his  finger,  jerked  it  quickly 
out,  and  fled. 

"Oh!"  cried  the  maiden.  "What  are  you  doing? 
Give  me  back  my  one  red  hair! " 

She  jumped  to  her  feet  and  ran  swiftly  after  him. 
As  she  came  close  to  him,  he  dropped  behind  him  the 
embroidered  scarf.  She  stooped  and  picked  it  up  and 
examined  it  awhile.  Then  she  saw  the  man  was  escap- 
ing, so  she  tossed  the  scarf  aside  and  again  ran  after 
him.  This  time  he  dropped  the  red  handkerchief.  Its 
bright  color  caught  the  maiden's  eye  and  she  picked  it 
up  and  lost  a  few  more  minutes  admiring  it  while  the 
man  raced  on.  Then  the  maiden  remembered  him,  threw 
away  the  handkerchief,  and  started  off  again  in  pursuit. 

This  time  the  man  dropped  the  mirror  and  the  maiden 
who  of  course  was  a  Vila  and  had  never  seen  a  mirror 
before  picked  it  up  and  looked  at  it  and  when  she 
saw  the  lovely  reflection  of  herself  she  was  so  amazed 
that  she  kept  on  looking  and  looking.  She  was  still 


226  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

looking  in  it  and  still  admiring  her  own  beauty  when 
the  man  reached  the  third  hill  beyond  which  the  maiden 
couldn't  follow  him. 

So  the  poor  man  got  home  with  the  hair  safely  wound 
about  his  finger. 

"  It  must  be  of  great  value,"  he  thought  to  himself. 
"  I'll  take  it  to  the  city  and  offer  it  for  sale  there." 

So  the  next  day  he  went  to  the  city  and  went  about 
offering  his  wonderful  hair  to  the  merchants. 

'  What's  so  wonderful  about  it?  "  they  asked  him. 

"  I  don't  know,  but  I  do  know  it's  of  great  value," 
he  told  them. 

"  Well,"  said  one  of  them,  "I'll  give  you  one  golden 
ducat  for  it." 

He  was  a  shrewd  buyer  and  the  others  hearing  his 
bid  of  one  golden  ducat  decided  that  he  must  know 
that  the  hair  was  of  much  greater  value.  So  they  began 
to  outbid  him  until  the  price  offered  the  poor  man 
reached  one  hundred  golden  ducats.  But  the  poor  man 
insisted  that  this  was  not  enough. 

"  One  hundred  golden  ducats  not  enough  for  one 
red  hair!"  cried  the  merchants. 

They  pretended  to  be  disgusted  that  any  one  would 
refuse  such  a  price  for  one  red  hair,  but  in  reality  they 
were  all  firmly  convinced  by  this  time  that  it  was  a 


THE  WONDERFUL  HAIR  227 

magic  hair  and  probably  worth  any  amount  of  money 
in  the  world. 

The  whole  city  became  excited  over  the  wonderful 
hair  for  which  all  the  merchants  were  bidding  and  for 
a  time  nothing  else  was  talked  about.  The  matter  was 
reported  to  the  Tsar  and  at  once  he  said  that  he  him- 
self would  buy  the  hair  for  one  thousand  golden  ducats. 

One  thousand  golden  ducats!  After  that  there  was 
no  danger  of  the  poor  man's  many  children  dying  of 
starvation. 

And  what  do  you  suppose  the  Tsar  did  with  the  hair? 
He  had  it  split  open  very  carefully  and  inside  he  found 
a  scroll  of  great  importance  to  mankind  for  on  it  were 
written  many  wonderful  secrets  of  nature. 


THE  BEST  WISH 


The  Story  of  Three  Brothers  and  an  Angel 


THE  BEST  WISH 

THERE  were  once  three  brothers  whose  only  pos- 
session was  a  pear  tree.    They  took  turns  guard- 
ing it.    That  is  to  say  while  two  of  them  went  to  work 
the  third  stayed  at  home  to  see  that  no  harm  came  to 
the  pear  tree. 

Now  it  happened  that  an  Angel  from  heaven  was 
sent  down  to  test  the  hearts  of  the  three  brothers.  The 
Angel  took  the  form  of  a  beggar  and  approaching  the 
pear  tree  on  a  day  when  the  oldest  brother  was  guard- 
ing it,  he  held  out  his  hand  and  said: 

"  In  heaven's  name,  brother,  give  me  a  ripe 
pear." 

The  oldest  brother  at  once  handed  him  a  pear,  say- 
ing: 

4  This  one  I  can  give  you  because  it  is  mine,  but  none 
of  the  others  because  they  belong  to  my  brothers." 

The  Angel  thanked  him  and  departed. 

The  next  day  when  the  second  brother  was  on  guard 
he  returned  in  the  same  guise  and  again  begged  the 
charity  of  a  ripe  pear. 

"  Take  this  one,"  the  second  brother  said.     "  It  is 

231 


232  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

mine  and  I  can  give  it  away.  I  can't  give  away  any 
of  the  others  because  they  belong  to  my  brothers." 

The  Angel  thanked  the  second  brother  and  de- 
parted. 

The  third  day  he  had  exactly  the  same  experience 
with  the  youngest  brother. 

On  the  following  day  the  Angel,  in  the  guise  of  a 
monk,  came  to  the  brothers'  house  very  early  while  they 
were  still  all  at  home. 

"  My  sons,"  he  said,  "  come  with  me  and  perhaps  I 
can  find  you  something  better  to  do  than  guard  a  single 
pear  tree." 

The  brothers  agreed  and  they  all  started  out  to- 
gether. After  walking  some  time  they  came  to  the 
banks  of  a  broad  deep  river. 

"  My  son,"  the  Angel  said,  addressing  the  oldest 
brother,  "  if  I  were  to  grant  you  one  wish,  what  would 
you  ask?  " 

"  I'd  be  happy,"  the  oldest  brother  said,  "  if  all  this 
water  was  turned  into  wine  and  belonged  to  me." 

The  Angel  lifted  his  staff  and  made  the  sign  of  the 
cross  and  lo!  the  water  became  wine  from  great  wine- 
presses. At  once  numbers  of  casks  appeared  and  men 
filling  them  and  rolling  them  about.  A  huge  industry 
sprang  up  with  sheds  and  storehouses  and  wagons  and 


The  Angel  Took  the  Form  of  a  Beggar 


THE  BEST  WISH  235 

men  running  hither  and  thither  and  addressing  the  old- 
est brother  respectfully  as  "Master!" 

"  You  have  your  wish,"  the  Angel  said.  "  See  that 
you  do  not  forget  God's  poor  now  that  you  are  rich. 
Farewell." 

So  they  left  the  oldest  brother  in  the  midst  of  his 
wine  and  went  on  farther  until  they  came  to  a  broad 
field  where  flocks  of  pigeons  were  feeding. 

"  If  I  were  to  grant  you  one  wish,"  the  Angel  said 
to  the  second  brother,  "  what  would  you  ask?  " 

"  I'd  be  happy,  father,  if  all  the  pigeons  in  this  field 
were  turned  to  sheep  and  belonged  to  me." 

The  Angel  lifted  his  staff,  made  the  sign  of  the  cross, 
and  lo!  the  field  was  covered  with  sheep.  Sheds  ap- 
peared and  houses  and  women,  some  of  them  milking  the 
ewes  and  others  skimming  the  milk  and  making  cheeses. 
In  one  place  men  were  busy  preparing  meat  for  the 
market  and  in  another  cleaning  wool.  And  all  of  them 
as  they  came  and  went  spoke  respectfully  to  the  second 
brother  and  called  him,  "Master!" 

"  You  have  your  wish,"  the  Angel  said.  "  Stay  here 
and  enjoy  prosperity  and  see  that  you  do  not  forget 
God's  poor!" 

Then  he  and  the  youngest  brother  went  on  their 
wav 


236  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

"  Now,  my  son,"  the  Angel  said,  "  you,  too,  may 
make  one  wish." 

"  I  want  but  one  thing,  father.  I  pray  heaven 
to  grant  me  a  truly  pious  wife.  That  is  my  only 
wish." 

"A  truly  pious  wife!  "  the  Angel  cried.  "  My  boy, 
you  have  asked  the  hardest  thing  of  all!  Why,  there 
are  only  three  truly  pious  women  in  all  the  world!  Two 
of  them  are  already  married  and  the  third  is  a  princess 
who  is  being  sought  in  marriage  at  this  very  moment  by 
two  kings!  However,  your  brothers  have  received  their 
wishes  and  you  must  have  yours,  too.  Let  us  go  at  once 
to  the  father  of  this  virtuous  princess  and  present  your 
suit." 

So  just  as  they  were  they  trudged  to  the  city  where 
the  princess  lived  and  presented  themselves  at  the  palace 
looking  shabby  and  travel-stained. 

The  king  received  them  and  when  he  heard  their  mis- 
sion he  looked  at  them  in  amazement. 

"  This  makes  three  suitors  for  my  daughter's  hand! 
Two  kings  and  now  this  young  man  all  on  the  same  day! 
How  am  I  going  to  decide  among  them? " 

"  Let  heaven  decide!  "  the  Angel  said.  "  Cut  three 
branches  of  grape-vine  and  let  the  princess  mark  each 
branch  with  the  name  of  a  different  suitor.  Then  let 


THE  BEST  WISH  237 

her  plant  the  three  branches  to-night  in  the  garden  and 
to-morrow  do  you  give  her  in  marriage  to  the  man  whose 
branch  has  blossomed  during  the  night  and  by  morning 
is  covered  with  ripe  clusters  of  grapes." 

The  king  and  the  two  other  suitors  agreed  to  this  and 
the  princess  named  and  planted  three  branches  of  grape- 
vine. In  the  morning  two  of  the  branches  were  bare 
and  dry,  but  the  third,  the  one  which  was  marked  with 
the  name  of  the  youngest  brother,  was  covered  with 
green  leaves  and  ripe  clusters  of  grapes.  The  king  ac- 
cepted heaven's  ruling  and  at  once  led  his  daughter  to 
church  where  he  had  her  married  to  the  stranger  and 
sent  her  off  with  his  blessing. 

The  Angel  led  the  young  couple  to  a  forest  and  left 
them  there. 

A  year  went  by  and  the  Angel  was  sent  back  to  earth 
to  see  how  the  three  brothers  were  faring.  Assuming 
the  form  of  an  old  beggar,  he  went  to  the  oldest  brother 
who  was  busy  among  his  wine-presses  and  begged  the 
charity  of  a  cup  of  wine. 

"Be  off  with  you,  you  old  vagabond!"  the  oldest 
brother  shouted  angrily.  "  If  I  gave  a  cup  of  wine  to 
every  beggar  that  comes  along  I'd  soon  be  a  beggar  my- 
self!" 

The  Angel  lifted  his  staff,  made  the  sign  of  the  cross, 


238  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

and  lo!  the  wine  and  all  the  winepresses  disappeared 
and  in  their  place  flowed  a  broad  deep  river. 

"  In  your  prosperity  you  have  forgotten  God's  poor," 
the  Angel  said.  "  Go  back  to  your  pear  tree." 

Then  the  Angel  went  to  the  second  brother  who  was 
busy  in  his  dairy. 

"  Brother,"  the  Angel  said,  "  in  heaven's  name,  I  pray 
you,  give  me  a  morsel  of  cheese." 

"A  morsel  of  cheese,  you  lazy  good-for-nothing!" 
the  second  brother  cried.  "  Be  off  with  you  or  I'll  call 
the  dogs!" 

The  Angel  lifted  his  staff,  made  the  sign  of  the  cross, 
and  lo !  the  sheep  and  the  dairy  and  all  the  busy  laborers 
disappeared  and  he  and  the  second  brother  were  stand- 
ing there  alone  in  a  field  where  flocks  of  pigeons  were 
feeding. 

"  In  your  prosperity  you  have  forgotten  God's  poor," 
the  Angel  said.  "  Go  back  to  your  pear  tree! " 

Then  the  Angel  made  his  way  to  the  forest  where  he 
had  left  the  youngest  brother  and  his  wife.  He  found 
them  in  great  poverty  living  in  a  mean  little  hut. 

"  God  be  with  you!  "  said  the  Angel  still  in  the  guise 
of  an  old  beggar.  "  I  pray  you  in  heaven's  name  give 
me  shelter  for  the  night  and  a  bite  of  supper." 

:<  We  are  poor  ourselves,"  the  youngest  brother  said. 


THE  BEST  WISH  239 

"  But  come  in,  you  are  welcome  to  share  what  we 
have." 

They  put  the  old  beggar  to  rest  at  the  most  comfort- 
able place  beside  the  fire  and  the  wife  set  three  places 
for  the  evening  meal.  They  were  so  poor  that  the  loaf 
that  was  baking  in  the  oven  was  not  made  of  grain 
ground  at  the  mill  but  of  pounded  bark  gathered  from 
the  trees. 

"  Alas,"  the  wife  murmured  to  herself,  "  it  shames 
me  that  we  have  no  real  bread  to  put  before  our 
guest." 

Imagine  then  her  surprise  when  she  opened  the  oven 
and  saw  a  browned  loaf  of  wheaten  bread. 

"  God  be  praised!  "  she  cried. 

She  drew  a  pitcher  of  water  at  the  spring  but  when 
she  began  pouring  it  into  the  cups  she  found  to  her 
joy  that  it  was  changed  to  wine. 

"  In  your  happiness,"  the  Angel  said,  "  you  have  not 
forgotten  God's  poor  and  God  will  reward  you!" 

He  raised  his  staff,  made  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and 
lo !  the  mean  little  hut  disappeared  and  in  its  place  arose 
a  stately  palace  full  of  riches  and  beautiful  things.  Ser- 
vants passed  hither  and  thither  and  addressed  the  poor 
man  respectfully  as  "  My  lord! "  and  his  wife  as  "  My 
lady!" 


240  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

The  old  beggar  arose  and  as  he  went  he  blessed  them 
both,  saying: 

"  God  gives  you  these  riches  and  they  will  be  yours 
to  enjoy  so  long  as  you  share  them  with  others." 

They  must  have  remembered  the  Angel's  words  for  all 
their  lives  long  they  were  happy  and  prosperous. 


THE  VILAS'  SPRING 


The  Story  of  the  Brother  Who  Knew  That  Good  Wo* 
Stronger  Than  Evil 


THE  VILAS'  SPRING 

THERE  was  once  a  rich  man  who  had  two  sons. 
The  older  son  was  overbearing,  greedy,  and  covet- 
ous. He  was  dishonest,  too,  and  thought  nothing  of  tak- 
ing things  that  belonged  to  others.  The  younger 
brother  was  gentle  and  kind.  He  was  always  ready 
to  share  what  he  had  and  he  was  never  known  to  cheat 
or  to  steal. 

"He's  little  better  than  a  fool!"  the  older  brother 
used  to  say  of  him  scornfully. 

When  the  brothers  grew  to  manhood  the  old  father 
died  leaving  directions  that  they  divide  his  wealth  be- 
tween them,  share  and  share  alike. 

"Nonsense!"  the  older  brother  said.  "That  fool 
would  only  squander  his  inheritance!  To  every  poor 
beggar  that  comes  along  he'd  give  an  alms  until  soon 
my  poor  father's  savings  would  be  all  gone!  No!  I'll 
give  him  three  golden  ducats  and  a  horse  and  tell  him 
to  get  out  and  if  he  makes  a  fuss  I  won't  give  him  that 
much!" 

So  he  said  to  his  younger  brother: 

243 


244  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

"  You're  a  fool  and  you  oughtn't  to  have  a  penny 
from  our  father's  estate.  However,  I'll  give  you  three 
golden  ducats  and  a  horse  on  condition  that  you  clear 
out  and  never  come  back." 

"  Brother,"  the  younger  one  said  quietly,  "  you  are 
doing  me  a  wrong." 

"What  if  I  am?"  sneered  the  older.  "Wrong  is 
stronger  than  Right  just  as  I  am  stronger  than  you.  Be 
off  with  you  now  or  I'll  take  from  you  even  these  three 
golden  ducats  and  the  horse!  " 

Without  another  word  the  younger  brother  mounted 
the  horse  and  rode  away. 

Time  went  by  and  at  last  the  brothers  chanced  to 
meet  on  the  highway. 

"  God  bless  you,  brother!  "  the  younger  one  said. 

"  Don't  you  go  God-blessing  me,  you  fool!  "  the  older 
one  shouted.  "  It  isn't  God  who  is  powerful  in  this 
world  but  the  Devil!" 

"  No,  brother,"  the  other  said,  "  you  are  wrong.  God 
is  stronger  than  the  Devil  just  as  Good  is  stronger  than 
Evil." 

"  Are  you  sure  of  that?  " 

"  Yes,  brother,  I'm  sure." 

"  Well,  then,  let  us  make  a  wager.  I'll  wager  you  a 
golden  ducat  that  Evil  is  stronger  than  Good  and  we'll 


THE  VILAS'  SPRING  245 

let  the  first  man  we  meet  on  this  road  decide  which  of  us 
is  right.  Do  you  agree?  " 

"  Yes,  brother,  I  agree." 

They  rode  a  short  distance  and  overtook  a  man  who 
seemed  to  be  a  monk.  He  wasn't  really  a  monk  but  the 
Devil  himself  disguised  in  the  habit  of  a  monk.  The 
older  brother  put  the  case  to  him  and  the  false  monk  at 
once  answered: 

"  That's  an  easy  question  to  decide.  Of  course  Evil 
is  stronger  than  Good  in  this  world." 

Without  a  word  the  younger  brother  took  out  one  of 
his  golden  ducats  and  handed  it  over. 

"  Now,"  sneered  the  older  one,  "  are  you  convinced?  " 

"  No,  brother,  I  am  not.  No  matter  what  this  monk 
says  I  know  that  Good  is  stronger  than  Evil." 

"  You  do,  do  you?  Then  suppose  we  repeat  the 
wager  and  ask  the  next  man  we  meet  to  decide  between 


us." 


'  Very  well,  brother,  I'm  willing." 

The  next  man  they  overtook  looked  like  an  old  farmer, 
but  in  reality  he  was  the  Devil  again  who  had  taken 
the  guise  of  a  farmer.  They  put  the  question  to  him  and 
of  course  the  Devil  made  the  same  answer: 

"  Evil  is  stronger  than  Good  in  this  world." 

So  again  the  younger  brother  paid  his  wager  but  in- 


246  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

sisted  that  he  still  believed  Good  to  be  stronger  than 
Evil. 

"  Then  we'll  make  a  third  wager,"  the  other  said. 

With  the  Devil's  help  the  older  brother  won  the  third 
golden  ducat  which  was  all  the  money  the  younger  one 
had.  Then  the  older  brother  suggested  that  they  wager 
their  horses  and  the  Devil,  disguised  in  another  form, 
again  acted  as  umpire  and  the  younger  one  of  course 
lost  his  horse. 

"  Now  I  have  nothing  more  to  lose,"  he  said,  "  but  I 
am  still  so  sure  that  Good  is  stronger  than  Evil  that  I 
am  willing  to  wager  the  very  eyes  out  of  my  head!  " 

"  The  more  fool  you!  "  the  other  one  cried  brutally. 

Without  another  word  he  knocked  his  younger 
brother  down  and  gouged  out  his  eyes. 

"  Now  let  God  take  care  of  you  if  He  can!  As  for 
me  I  put  my  trust  in  the  Devil !  " 

"  May  God  forgive  you  for  speaking  so!  "  the  younger 
one  said. 

"  I  don't  care  whether  He  does  or  not !  Nothing 
can  harm  me!  I'm  strong  and  I'm  rich  and  I  know  how 
to  take  care  of  myself.  As  for  you,  you  poor  blind 
beggar,  is  there  anything  you  would  like  me  to  do  for 
you  before  I  ride  away?  " 

"  All  I  ask  of  you,  brother,  is  that  you  lead  me  to 


Vilas  at  Play 


THE  VILAS'  SPRING  249 

the  spring  that  is  under  the  fir  tree  not  far  from 
here.  There  I  can  bathe  my  wounds  and  sit  in  the 
shade." 

"  I'll  do  that  much  for  you,"  the  older  one  said,  tak- 
ing the  blinded  man  by  the  hand.  "  For  the  rest,  God 
will  have  to  take  care  of  you." 

With  that  he  led  him  over  to  the  fir  tree  and  left  him. 
The  blinded  man  groped  his  way  to  the  spring  and 
bathed  his  wounds,  then  sat  down  under  the  tree  and 
prayed  God  for  help  and  protection. 

When  night  came  he  fell  asleep  and  he  slept  until 
midnight  when  he  was  awakened  by  the  sound  of  voices 
at  the  spring.  A  company  of  Vilas  were  bathing  and 
playing  as  they  bathed.  He  was  blind,  as  you  remem- 
ber, so  he  couldn't  see  their  beautiful  forms  but  he  knew 
that  they  must  be  Vilas  from  their  voices  which  were 
as  sweet  as  gurgling  waters  and  murmuring  treetops. 
Human  voices  are  never  half  so  lovely.  Yes,  they  must 
be  Vilas  from  the  mountains  and  the  woods. 

"  Ho,  sisters!  "  cried  one  of  them,  "  if  only  men  knew 
that  we  bathed  in  this  spring,  they  could  come  to- 
morrow and  be  healed  in  its  water — the  maimed  and 
the  halt  and  blind!  To-morrow  this  water  would 
heal  even  the  king's  daughter  who  is  afflicted  with 
leprosy! " 


250  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

When  they  were  gone  the  blind  man  crept  down  to 
the  spring  and  bathed  his  face.  At  the  first  touch  of 
the  healing  water  his  wounds  closed  and  his  sight  was 
restored.  With  a  heart  full  of  gratitude  he  knelt  down 
and  thanked  God  for  the  miracle.  Then  when  morning 
came  he  filled  a  vessel  with  the  precious  water  and  hur- 
ried to  the  king's  palace. 

"  Tell  the  king,"  he  said  to  the  guards,  "  that  I  have 
come  to  heal  his  daughter." 

The  king  admitted  him  at  once  to  the  princess's  cham- 
ber and  said  to  him: 

"  If  you  succeed  in  healing  the  princess  you  shall  have 
her  in  marriage  and  in  addition  I  shall  make  you  heir 
to  my  kingdom." 

The  moment  the  princess  was  bathed  in  the  healing 
water  she,  too,  was  restored  to  health  and  at  once  the 
proclamation  was  sent  forth  that  the  princess  was  re- 
covered and  was  soon  to  marry  the  man  who  had  cured 
her. 

Now  when  the  evil  older  brother  heard  who  this  for- 
tunate man  was,  he  could  scarcely  contain  himself  for 
rage  and  envy. 

"  How  did  that  fool  get  back  his  sight?  "  he  asked 
himself.  "  What  magic  secret  did  he  discover  that  en- 
abled him  to  heal  the  princess  of  leprosy?  Whatever  it 


THE  VILAS'  SPRING  251 

was  he  got  it  under  the  fir  tree  for  where  else  could  he 
have  got  it?  I've  a  good  mind  to  go  to  the  fir  tree  my- 
self to-night  and  see  what  happens." 

The  more  he  thought  about  it  the  surer  he  became 
that  if  he  went  to  the  fir  tree  in  exactly  the  same  con- 
dition as  his  brother  he,  too,  would  have  some  wonderful 
good  fortune.  So  when  night  came  he  seated  himself 
under  the  tree,  gouged  out  his  eyes  with  a  knife,  and 
then  waited  to  see  what  would  happen.  At  midnight 
he  heard  the  Vilas  at  the  spring  but  their  voices  were 
not  sweet  but  shrill  and  angry. 

"  Sisters,"  they  cried  to  each  other,  "  have  you 
heard?  The  princess  is  healed  of  leprosy  and  it  was 
with  the  water  of  this,  our  spring!  Who  has  spied 
on  us?" 

'  While  we  were  talking  last  night,"  said  one,  "  some 
man  may  have  been  hiding  under  the  fir  tree." 

"  Let  us  see  if  there  is  any  one  there  to-night!  "  cried 
another. 

With  that  they  all  rushed  to  the  fir  tree  and  took  the 
man  they  found  sitting  there  and  in  a  fury  tore  him  to 
pieces  as  though  he  were  a  bit  of  old  cloth.  So  that  was 
the  end  of  the  wicked  older  brother.  And  you  will  no- 
tice that  in  his  hour  of  need  his  friend,  the  Devil,  was 
not  on  hand  to  help  him. 


252  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

So  after  all  it  was  the  younger  brother  who  finally 
inherited  all  his  father's  wealth.  In  addition  he  mar- 
ried the  princess  and  was  made  heir  to  the  kingdom.  So 
you  see  Good  is  stronger  than  Evil  in  this  world. 


LORD  AND  MASTER 


The  Story  of  the  Man  Who  Understood  the  Language 
of  the  Animals 


LORD  AND  MASTER 

THERE  was  once  a  young  shepherd,  an  honest  in- 
dustrious fellow,  who  passed  most  of  his  time  in 
the  hills  looking  after  his  master's  flocks.  One  after- 
noon he  happened  upon  a  bush  which  some  gipsies  had 
set  a-fire.  As  he  stopped  to  watch  it  he  heard  a  strange 
hissing,  whistling  sound.  He  went  as  close  as  he  could 
and  in  the  center  of  the  bush  which  the  flames  had  not 
yet  reached  he  saw  a  snake.  It  was  writhing  and  trem- 
bling in  fear. 

"  Help  me,  brother!  "  the  snake  said.  "  Help  me  and 
I  will  reward  you  richly !  I  swear  I  will !  " 

The  shepherd  put  the  end  of  his  crook  over  the  flames 
and  the  snake  crawled  up  the  crook,  up  the  shepherd's 
arm,  and  wound  itself  about  his  neck. 

It  was  now  the  shepherd's  turn  to  be  frightened. 

"  What!  Will  you  kill  me  as  a  reward  for  my  kind- 
ness? " 

"  Nay,"  the  snake  said.  "  Do  not  be  afraid.  I  will 
not  injure  you.  Do  as  I  tell  you  and  you  will  have  noth- 
ing to  regret.  My  father  is  the  Tsar  of  the  Snakes. 

255 


256  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

Take  me  to  him  and  he  will  reward  you  for  rescuing 


me." 


"  But  I  can't  leave  my  flocks,"  the  shepherd  said. 

"  Have  no  fear  about  your  flocks.  Nothing  will  hap- 
pen to  them  in  your  absence." 

"  But  I  don't  know  where  your  father,  the  Tsar  of  the 
Snakes,  lives,"  the  shepherd  protested. 

"  I'll  show  you,"  the  snake  said.  "  I'll  point  out  the 
direction  with  my  tail." 

So  in  spite  of  his  misgivings  the  shepherd  at  last 
agreed  to  the  snake's  suggestion  and,  leaving  his 
sheep  in  God's  care,  started  up  the  mountainside  in 
the  direction  which  the  snake  pointed  out  with  his 
tail. 

They  reached  finally  a  sort  of  pocket  in  the  hills 
which  was  sandy  and  rocky  and  exposed  to  the  full  force 
of  the  sun.  The  snake  directed  the  shepherd  to  the  Nen- 
trance  of  a  cave  which  had  a  huge  door  composed  en- 
tirely of  living  snakes  closely  wound  together.  The 
shepherd's  snake  said  something  in  his  breathy  whistling 
voice  and  the  door  pulled  itself  apart  and  allowed  the 
shepherd  to  enter  the  cave. 

"  Now,"  whispered  the  snake,  "  when  my  father  asks 
you  what  you  want,  tell  him  you  want  the  gift  of  under- 
standing the  language  of  the  animals.  He  will  try  to 


LORD  AND  MASTER  257 

give  you  something  else  but  don't  you  accept  anything 
else." 

The  Tsar  of  the  Snakes  was  a  huge  creature  clothed 
in  a  gorgeous  skin  of  red  and  yellow  and  black.  They 
found  him  reclining  on  a  golden  table  with  a  crown  of 
precious  jewels  on  his  head. 

"  My  son!  "  he  cried,  when  he  saw  the  snake  that  was 
still  wound  about  the  shepherd's  neck,  "  where  have  you 
been?  We  have  been  grieving  for  you  thinking  you  had 
met  some  misfortune." 

"  But  for  this  shepherd,  my  father,"  the  snake  said, 
"  I  should  have  been  burned  to  death.  He  rescued 


me." 


Then  he  told  the  Tsar  of  the  Snakes  the  whole  story. 
The  Tsar  of  the  Snakes  listened  carefully  and  when  the 
Snake  Prince  was  finished  he  turned  to  the  shepherd 
and  said: 

"  Sir,  I  am  ^deeply  indebted  to  you  for  saving  my 
son's  life.  Ask  of  me  anything  I  can  grant  and  it  is 
yours." 

"  Give  me  then,"  the  shepherd  said,  "  the  gift  of  un- 
derstanding the  language  of  the  animals." 

"  Not  that!  "  the  Tsar  of  the  Snakes  cried.  "  It  is 
too  dangerous  a  gift!  If  ever  yon  confessed  to  some 
other  human  being  that  you  had  this  gift  and  repeated 


258  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

what  some  animal  said  you  would  die  that  instant.  Ask 
something  else — anything  else!  " 

"  No,"  the  shepherd  insisted.  "  Give  me  that  or 
nothing!  " 

When  the  Tsar  of  the  Snakes  saw  that  the  shepherd 
was  not  to  be  dissuaded,  he  said: 

"  Very  well,  then.  What  must  be,  must  be.  Come 
now  very  close  to  me  and  put  your  mouth  against  my 
mouth.  Do  you  breathe  three  times  into  my  mouth  and 
I  shall  breathe  three  times  into  your  mouth.  Then  you 
will  understand  the  language  of  the  animals." 

So  the  shepherd  put  his  mouth  close  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Tsar  of  the  Snakes  and  breathed  into  it  three  times. 
Then  the  Tsar  of  the  Snakes  breathed  into  the  shep- 
herd's mouth  three  times. 

"  Now  you  will  understand  the  language  of  all  ani- 
mals," the  Tsar  of  the  Snakes  said.  "  It  is  a  dangerous 
gift  but  if  you  remember  my  warning  it  may  bring  you 
great  prosperity.  Farewell." 

So  the  shepherd  went  back  to  his  flocks  and  lay  down 
under  a  fir  tree  to  rest.  Presently  he  wondered  whether 
he  hadn't  been  asleep  and  dreamed  about  the  burning 
bush  and  the  snake  and  the  Tsar  of  the  Snakes. 

"  It  can't  be  real!  "  he  said  to  himself.  "  How  can  I 
or  any  man  understand  the  language  of  the  animals!" 


The  Tsar  of  the  Snakes  Listened  Carefully 


LORD  AND  MASTER  261 

Just  then  two  ravens  alighted  on  the  tree  above  his 
head. 

"  Caw!  Caw!  "  said  one  of  them.  "  Wouldn't  that 
shepherd  be  surprised  if  he  knew  he  was  lying  on  some 
buried  treasure!  " 

"Caw!  Caw!"  laughed  the  other.  "He'll  never 
know  for  he's  only  one  of  those  poor  stupid  human  be- 
ings who  can't  understand  a  word  we  say !  " 

The  ravens  flew  off  and  the  shepherd  sat  up  and 
rubbed  his  eyes  to  make  sure  he  was  awake. 

"  Am  I  dreaming  again?  "  he  asked  himself,  "  or  did 
I  really  understand  them?  Well,  I'll  soon  find  out. 
To-morrow  I'll  bring  a  spade  and  then  if  there's  any 
treasure  buried  under  this  tree  I  won't  be  long  in  dig- 
ging it  up." 

He  marked  the  spot  where  he  had  been  lying  when 
the  ravens  spoke  and  the  next  day  came  back  and  dug. 
Three  feet  below  the  surface  his  spade  hit  something 
that  proved  to  be  a  big  iron  pot  chock-full  of  golden 
ducats. 

He  carried  the  treasure  to  his  master  and  his  master 
was  so  pleased  at  his  honesty  that  he  gave  him  half 
of  it. 

So  now  the  shepherd  was  able  to  set  up  in  life  for 
himself.  He  bought  a  farm  and  married  and  "  settled 


262  THE  TAUGHING  PRINCE 

down  "  as  the  saying  is.  The  years  went  by  and  he 
grew  prosperous  and  rich. 

One  Christmas  Eve  he  said  to  his  wife: 

"  I'm  thinking,  wife,  of  my  youth  when  I  was  a  shep- 
herd and  how  lonely  it  was  at  times  like  this  when  other 
folk  were  at  home  seated  about  the  fire  and  making 
merry.  Let  us  give  our  shepherds  out  on  the  hills  a  sur- 
prise to-night.  We  can  take  them  meats  and  wine  and 
other  food  and  then  I'll  go  out  and  guard  the  sheep 
while  you  serve  them  a  fine  Christmas  supper." 

His  wife  agreed  and  they  mounted  their  horses  and 
rode  out  to  the  hills  taking  with  them  great  hampers 
of  food  and  wine.  The  wife  entertained  the  shepherds 
in  their  hut  with  a  big  jolly  supper  and  the  master  stayed 
outside  all  night  with  the  dogs  guarding  the  sheep. 

At  midnight  some  wolves  came  prowling  around  the 
flocks. 

"  See  here,"  they  said  to  the  dogs,  "  if  you  let  us  in 
we'll  kill  the  sheep  and  then  we'll  divide  the  carcasses 
with  you." 

The  dogs  for  the  most  part  were  young  and  thought- 
less and  ready  enough  to  fall  in  with  the  wolves'  sugges- 
tion. But  there  was  one  old  sheepdog  that  nothing 
could  tempt. 

"  I've  only  a  few  teeth  left!  "  he  growled,  "  but  those 


LORD  AND  MASTER  263 

few  are  still  sound  and  let  any  wolf  come  a  step  nearer 
and  I'll  tear  him  to  pieces!  " 

All  night  long  that  one  old  sheepdog  stood  on  guard 
faithful  to  duty. 

In  the  morning  the  master  ordered  the  shepherds  to 
kill  the  young  dogs  and  train  in  new  ones. 

The  shepherds  were  surprised. 

"The  master's  a  clever  one!"  they  told  each  other. 
"  Just  one  night  and  he  found  out  how  worthless  those 
young  dogs  were !  " 

As  the  farmer  and  his  wife  were  riding  home,  the 
farmer's  horse  ran  on  ahead. 

"  Not  so  fast!  "  begged  the  mare  that  the  wife  was 
riding.  "  Have  pity  on  me  and  go  more  slowly.  You 
have  only  the  master  to  carry  while  I'm  all  laden  down 
with  hampers  and  empty  jugs  and  I  don't  know  what 
and  with  a  mistress  that's  twice  as  big  as  she  was  a  few 
months  ago ! " 

The  farmer  when  he  heard  the  mare's  complaint  burst 
out  laughing. 

"  What  are  you  laughing  at?  "  his  wife  asked  sharply. 

"  Nothing,"  the  farmer  said. 

"You're  laughing  at  me!"  the  wife  declared,  "I 
know  you  are,  just  because  I'm  so  big  that  I'm  awkward 
in  the  saddle!" 


264  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

"  No,  my  dear,  I'm  not  laughing  at  you,  truly  I'm 
not." 

*  You  are!  I  know  you  are  and  I  don't  think 
it's  kind  of  you,  either!"  And  the  wife  burst  into 
tears. 

"  Now,  my  dear,"  the  husband  said,  soothingly,  "  be 
sensible  and  believe  me  when  I  tell  you  I  was  not  laugh- 
ing at  you." 

;<  Then  what  were  you  laughing  at? " 

"  I  can't  tell  you  because  if  I  did  tell  you  then  I  should 
die  the  next  moment." 

"  Die  the  next  moment!  "  the  wife  said.  "  Stuff  and 
nonsense!  It  must  be  a  strange  thing  indeed  if  a  man 
can't  tell  his  own  wife  for  fear  he'll  die  the  next  mo- 
ment!" 

The  more  she  thought  about  it  the  more  enraged  she 
became  and  also  the  more  curious. 

"  If  you  really  loved  me,  you'd  tell  me!  "  she  wept. 

All  the  way  home  she  kept  on  worrying  her  husband 
and  nagging  at  him  until  at  last  in  utter  exhaustion  he 
said: 

"Peace,  woman,  peace,  and  I'll  tell  you!  But  first 
let  me  have  my  coffin  made  for  as  I've  warned  you  I 
shall  die  the  moment  I've  spoken." 

So  he  had  the  village  carpenter  build  him  a  coffin 


LORD  AND  MASTER  265 

and  when  it  was  ready  he  stood  it  up  on  end  against 
the  house  and  got  inside  of  it. 

The  news  of  what  was  about  to  happen  spread  among 
the  animals  and  the  faithful  old  sheepdog  hurried  down 
from  the  hills  to  be  with  his  master  at  the  end.  He  lay 
down  at  the  foot  of  the  coffin  and  howled. 

"  I've  one  faithful  friend!  "  the  farmer  said.  "  Wife, 
give  the  poor  dog  some  bread  before  I  tell  you  my  secret 
and  die." 

The  woman  threw  the  old  dog  a  hunk  of  bread  but 
the  dog  refused  it  and  kept  on  howling. 

The  rooster  from  the  barnyard  came  running  up  and 
began  gobbling  down  the  bread  with  great  gusto. 

"You  shameless  animal!"  the  dog  said  sternly. 
"  Here's  the  poor  master  about  to  die  on  account  of  that 
foolish  inquisitive  wife  of  his  and  yet  you  have  so  little 
feeling  that  you're  delighted  at  the  chance  to  gorge 
yourself  with  food !  " 

The  rooster  clucked  scornfully. 

"  See  here,  old  dog,  I  can't  waste  any  sympathy  on 
that  master  of  ours !  Any  man  who  allows  his  wife  to 
bully  him  deserves  whatever  he  gets!  Look  at  me!" 
The  rooster  puffed  out  his  chest  and  gave  a  loud: 
"  Cock-a-doodle-do!  I've  got  fifty  wives  but  do  they 
bully  me?  They  do  not!  Whenever  I  find  a  nice  fat 


266  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

worm  or  a  grain  of  corn  I  set  up  an  awful  noise  and 
gather  them  all  around  me.  Then  I  eat  it  while  they 
stand  there  and  admire  me !  No,  no,  old  dog,  I  have  no 
patience  with  the  master !  He  has  only  one  wife  and  he 
doesn't  know  how  to  rule  her! " 

"  The  rooster's  right !  "  thought  the  farmer. 

With  that  he  jumped  out  of  the  coffin,  picked  up  a 
stick,  and  gave  his  wife  a  sound  beating. 

"So  you'd  kill  your  husband  just  to  satisfy  your 
curiosity,  would  you?"  he  shouted  angrily.  "Very 
well,  then!  Take  this  and  this  and  this!  And  if  your 
curiosity  is  still  unsatisfied  I'll  give  you  some  more!  " 

"Stop!  Stop!  Stop!"  cried  the  wife.  "  Do  you 
want  to  injure  me!  " 

But  the  farmer  did  not  stop  until  he  had  given  her 
such  a  whipping  that  she  never  forgot  it.  When  it  was 
over  she  begged  his  pardon  humbly  and  promised  never 
again  to  ask  him  anything  that  he  didn't  want  to  tell  her. 

'  You  just  mustn't  let  me  be  so  foolish  again! "  she 
said. 

"  I  won't!  "  the  farmer  declared. 

Then  he  puffed  out  his  chest  and  strutted  about  until 
you'd  have  laughed  to  see  him — he  looked  so  much  like 
the  rooster! 


THE  SILVER  TRACKS 


The  Story  of  the  Poor  Man  Who  Befriended  a  Beggar 


THE  SILVER  TRACKS 

THERE  were  once  three  brothers  who  lived  in  the 
same  village.  One  of  them  was  very  rich.  He 
had  houses  and  fields  and  barns.  He  had  nothing  to 
spend  his  money  on  for  he  had  no  children  and  his  wife 
was  as  saving  and  hardworking  as  himself.  The  second 
brother  was  not  so  rich  but  he,  too,  was  prosperous.  He 
had  one  son  and  all  his  thought  was  to  accumulate  money 
and  property  in  order  to  leave  his  son  rich.  He 
schemed  and  worked  and  slaved  and  made  his  wife  do 
the  same. 

The  third  brother  was  industrious  but  very  poor.  He 
worked  early  and  late  and  never  took  a  holiday.  He 
couldn't  afford  to  for  he.  had  a  wife  and  ten  children 
and  only  by  working  every  hour  of  the  day  and  often 
far  into  the  night  could  he  earn  enough  to  buy  food  for 
so  large  a  family.  He  was  a  simple  man  and  a  good 
man  and  he  taught  his  children  that  the  most  important 
thing  for  them  to  do  in  life  was  to  love  God  and  be  kind 
to  their  fellowmen. 

Now  it  happened  that  once,  when  our  Lord  Christ 
was  on  earth  testing  out  the  hearts  of  men,  he  came  in 

269 


270  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

the  guise  of  a  beggar  to  the  village  where  the  three 
brothers  lived.  He  came  in  a  brokendown  cart  driving 
a  wheezy  old  horse.  It  was  cold  and  raining  and  night 
was  falling. 

The  Beggar  knocked  at  the  door  of  the  richest  brother 
and  said: 

"  I  pray  you  in  God's  name  give  shelter  for  the  night 
to  me  and  my  horse." 

"What!"  cried  the  rich  man,  "  do  you  suppose  I 
have  nothing  better  to  do  than  give  shelter  to  such  as 
you!  Be  off  with  you  or  I'll  call  my  men  and  have  them 
give  you  the  beating  you  deserve!  " 

The  Beggar  left  without  another  word  and  went  to 
the  house  of  the  next  brother.  He  was  civil  at  least  to 
the  Beggar  and  pretended  that  he  was  sorry  to  refuse 
him. 

"  I'd  accommodate  you  if  I  could,"  he  said,  "  but  the 
truth  is  I  can't.  My  house  isn't  as  big  as  it  looks  and  I 
have  many  people  dependent  on  me.  Just  go  on  a  little 
farther  and  I'm  sure  you'll  find  some  one  who  will  take 
you  in." 

The  Beggar  turned  his  horse's  head  and  went  to  the 
tiny  little  house  where  the  poor  brother  lived  with  his 
big  family.  He  knocked  on  the  door  and  begged  for 
shelter. 


THE  SILVER  TRACKS  271 

"  Come  in,  brother,"  said  the  Poor  Man.  "  We're 
pretty  crowded  here  but  we'll  find  a  place  for  you." 

"And  my  horse,"  the  Beggar  said;  "I'm  afraid  to 
leave  him  out  in  the  rain  and  cold." 

"  We'll  stable  him  with  my  donkey,"  the  Poor  Man 
said.  "  Do  you  come  in  here  by  the  fire  and  dry  off  and 
I'll  see  to  the  horse." 

The  Poor  Man  pulled  out  his  own  cart  until  it  was  ex- 
posed to  the  rain  in  order  to  make  a  dry  place  in  the 
shed  for  the  Beggar's  cart.  Then  he  led  the  Beg- 
gar's gaunt  horse  into  his  tiny  stable  and  fed  him 
for  the  night  out  of  his  own  slender  store  of  oats  and 
hay. 

He  and  his  family  shared  their  evening  meal  with  the 
Beggar  and  then  made  up  for  him  a  bed  of  straw  near 
the  fire  where  he  was  able  to  pass  the  night  comfortably 
and  warmly. 

The  next  morning  as  he  was  leaving  he  said  to  the 
Poor  Man: 

%<  You  must  come  sometime  to  my  house  and  visit 
me  and  let  me  return  the  hospitality  you  have  shown 


me." 


"  Where  do  you  live? "  the  Poor  Man  asked. 
"  You  can  always  find  me,"  the  Beggar  said,  "  by  fol- 
lowing the  tracks  of  my  cart.    You  will  know  them  be- 


272  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

cause  they  are  broader  than  the  tracks  of  any  other  cart. 
You  will  come,  won't  you?  " 

"  Yes,"  the  Poor  Man  promised,  "  I  will  if  ever  I  have 
time." 

They  bade  each  other  good-by  and  the  Beggar  drove 
slowly  off.  Then  the  Poor  Man  went  to  the  shed  to 
get  his  own  cart  and  the  first  thing  he  saw  were  two 
large  silver  bolts  lying  on  the  ground. 

"  They  must  have  fallen  from  the  Beggar's  cart!  "  he 
thought  to  himself  and  he  ran  out  to  the  road  to  see 
whether  the  Beggar  were  still  in  sight.  But  he  and  the 
cart  had  disappeared. 

"  I  hope  he  has  no  accident  on  account  of  those  bolts!  " 
the  Poor  Man  said. 

When  he  went  to  the  stable  to  get  his  donkey  he  found 
four  golden  horse- shoes  where  the  Beggar's  horse  had 
been  standing. 

"  Four  golden  horse-shoes!  "  he  exclaimed.  "  I  ought 
to  return  them  and  the  silver  bolts  at  once !  But  I  can't 
to-day,  I'm  too  busy.  Well,  I'll  hide  them  safely  away 
and  some  afternoon  when  I  have  a  few  hours  to  spare 
I'll  follow  the  tracks  of  the  cart  to  the  Beggar's  house." 

That  afternoon  he  met  his  two  rich  brothers  and  told 
them  about  the  Beggar. 

"Silver  bolts!"  cried  one. 


THE  SILVER  TRACKS  273 

"Golden  horse-shoes!"  cried  the  other.  "Take  us 
home  with  you  and  let  us  see  them!  " 

So  they  went  home  with  the  Poor  Man  and  saw  for 
themselves  the  silver  bolts  and  the  golden  horse-shoes. 

"  Brothers,"  the  Poor  Man  said,  "  if  either  of  you 
have  time  I  wish  you'd  take  these  things  and  return 
them  to  the  Beggar." 

They  both  said,  no,  no,  they  hadn't  time,  but  they 
would  like  to  know  where  the  Beggar  lived. 

"  He  said  I  could  always  find  him,"  the  Poor  Man 
said,  "  by  following  the  tracks  of  his  cart." 

"The  tracks  of  his  cart!"  echoed  the  other  two. 
"  Show  us  the  tracks  of  his  cart!  " 

They  went  to  the  shed  where  the  cart  had  been  and 
followed  the  tracks  out  to  the  road.  Even  on  the  road 
they  were  easy  to  see  for  besides  being  wider  than  any 
other  cart  tracks  they  shone  white  like  glistening 
silver. 

"  H'm!    H'm!  "  murmured  the  two  rich  brothers. 

1  You  don't  think  either  of  you  have  time  to  follow 
them  to  the  Beggar's  house?  "  the  Poor  Man  said. 

"No!  Of  course  not!  Of  course  not!"  they  both 
answered. 

But  in  his  heart  each  had  already  decided  to  go  at 
once  and  see  for  himself  what  kind  of  a  Beggar  this  was 


274  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

\ 

who  had  silver  bolts  in  his  cart  and  golden  shoes  on  his 
horse. 

The  oldest  brother  went  the  very  next  day  driving  a 
new  wagon  and  a  fine  horse.  The  silver  tracks  led 
through  woods  and  fields  and  over  hills.  They  came  at 
last  to  a  river  which  was  spanned  by  a  wooden  bridge. 
It  was  cunningly  constructed  of  timbers  beautifully 
hewn.  The  rich  man  had  never  seen  such  wood  used  on 
a  bridge. 

By  the  roadside  beyond  the  bridge  there  was  a  pigsty 
with  one  trough  full  of  corn  and  another  full  of  water. 
There  were  two  sows  in  the  sty  and  they  were  fight- 
ing each  other  and  tearing  at  each  other  and  paying 
no  attention  whatever  to  all  the  good  food  in  the 
trough. 

A  little  farther  on  there  was  another  river  and  over  it 
another  wonderful  bridge,  this  one  made  entirely  of 
stone. 

Beyond  it  the  rich  man  came  to  a  meadow  where  there 
was  a  hayrick  around  which  two  angry  bulls  were  chas- 
ing each  other  and  goring  each  other  until  the  blood 
spurted. 

"I  wonder  some  one  doesn't  stop  them!"  the  rich 
man  thought  to  himself. 

The  next  river  had  an  iron  bridge,  more  beautiful  than 


THE  SILVER  TRACKS  275 

the  rich  man  had  ever  supposed  an  iron  bridge  could  be. 

Beyond  the  iron  bridge  there  was  a  field  and  a  bush 
and  two  angry  rams  that  were  chasing  each  other  around 
the  bush  and  fighting.  Their  horns  cracked  as  they  met 
and  their  hides  were  torn  and  bleeding  where  they  had 
gored  each  other. 

"  I  never  saw  so  many  angry  fighting  animals! "  the 
rich  man  thought  to  himself. 

The  next  bridge  glowed  in  the  sun  like  the  embers 
of  a  fire  for  it  was  built  entirely  of  shining  copper — cop- 
per rivets,  copper  plates,  copper  beams,  nothing  but 
copper. 

The  silver  tracks  led  over  the  copper  bridge  into  2. 
broad  valley.  By  the  roadside  there  was  a  high  crossbar 
from  which  depended  heavy  cuts  of  meat — lamb  and 
pork  and  veal.  Two  large  bitch  dogs  were  jumping  at 
the  meat  and  then  snarling  and  snapping  at  each  other. 

The  next  bridge  was  the  loveliest  of  them  all  for  it 
was  built  of  white  gleaming  silver. 

The  rich  man  climbed  down  from  his  wagon  and  ex- 
amined it  closely. 

"  It  would  be  worth  a  man's  while  to  carry  home  a 
piece  of  this  bridge!  "  he  muttered  to  himself. 

He  tried  the  rivets,  he  shook  the  railing.  At  last  he 
found  four  loose  bolts  which  he  was  able  to  pull  out. 


276  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

The  four  together  were  so  heavy  that  he  was  scarcely 
able  to  lift  them.  He  looked  cautiously  about  and  when 
he  saw  that  no  one  was  looking,  he  slipped  them  one  by 
one  into  the  bottom  of  his  wagon  and  covered  them  with 
straw.  Then  he  turned  his  horse's  head  and  drove  home 
as  fast  as  he  could.  It  was  midnight  when  he  got  there 
and  nobody  about  to  spy  on  him  as  he  hid  the  silver  bolts 
in  the  hay. 

The  next  day  when  he  went  out  alone  to  gloat  over  his 
treasure  he  found  instead  of  four  heavy  silver  bolts  four 
pieces  of  wood ! 

So  that's  what  the  rich  brother  got  for  following  the 
silver  tracks. 

'  A  day  or  two  later  without  saying  a  word  to  any  one, 
the  second  brother  decided  that  he  would  follow  the 
silver  tracks  and  have  a  look  at  the  strange  Beggar 
whose  cart  had  silver  bolts  and  whose  wheezy  horse  had 
golden  shoes. 

"  Perhaps  if  I  keep  my  wits  about  me  I'll  be  able  to 
pick  up  a  few  golden  horse-shoes.  Not  many  boys  in- 
herit golden  horse-shoes  from  their  fathers!" 

Well,  the  second  brother  went  over  exactly  the  same 
route  and  saw  exactly  the  same  things.  He  crossed  all 
those  wonderful  bridges  that  his  brother  had  crossed — 
the  wooden  bridge,  the  stone  bridge,  the  iron  bridge, 


The  Beggar's  Garden 


THE  SILVER  TRACKS  279 

the  copper  bridge,  the  silver  bridge,  and  he  saw  all  those 
angry  animals  still  trying  to  gore  each  other  to  death. 

He  didn't  stop  at  the  silver  bridge  for  he  thought  to 
himself : 

"  Perhaps  the  next  bridge  will  be  golden  and  if  it  is 
I  may  be  able  to  break  off  a  piece  of  it!  " 

Beyond  the  silver  bridge  was  another  broad  valley  and 
the  second  brother  saw  many  strange  sights  as  he  drove 
through.  There  was  a  man  standing  alone  in  a  field  and 
trying  to  beat  off  a  flock  of  ravens  that  were  swooping 
down  and  pecking  at  his  eyes.  Near  him  was  an  old 
man  with  snow-white  hair  who  was  making  loud  outcries 
to  heaven  praying  to  be  delivered  from  the  two  oxen  who 
were  munching  at  his  white  hair  as  though  it  were  so 
much  hay.  They  ate  great  wisps  of  it  and  the  more  they 
ate  the  more  grew  out. 

There  was  an  apple-tree  heavily  laden  with  ripe  fruit 
and  a  hungry  man  forever  reaching  up  and  plucking  an 
apple.  The  apples  were  apples  of  Sodom  and  always  as 
the  hungry  man  raised  each  new  one  to  his  mouth  it 
turned  to  ashes. 

In  another  place  a  thirsty  man  was  reaching  with  a 
dipper  into  a  well  and  always,  just  as  he  was  about  to 
scoop  up  some  water,  the  well  moved  away  from  under 
the  dipper. 


280  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

"What  a  strange  country  this  is! "  thought  the  sec- 
ond brother  as  he  drove  on. 

At  last  he  reached  the  next  bridge  and  sure  enough 
it  was  shining  gold !  Every  part  of  it — bolts  and  beams 
and  pillars,  all  were  gold.  In  great  excitement  the  sec- 
ond brother  climbed  down  from  his  wagon  and  began 
pulling  and  wrenching  at  various  parts  of  the  bridge 
hoping  to  find  some  loose  pieces  which  he  could  break 
off.  At  last  he  succeeded  in  pulling  out  four  long  bolts 
which  were  so  heavy  he  could  scarcely  lift  them.  After 
looking  about  in  all  directions  to  make  sure  that  no  one 
saw  him,  he  put  them  into  his  wagon  and  covered  them 
up  with  straw.  Then  he  drove  homewards  as  fast  as  he 
could. 

"  Ha!  Ha!  "  he  chuckled  as  he  hid  the  golden  bolts 
in  the  barn.  "  My  son  will  now  be  a  richer  man  than  my 
brother!" 

He  could  scarcely  sleep  with  thinking  of  his  golden 
treasure  and  at  the  first  light  of  morning  he  slipped  out  to 
the  barn.  Imagine  his  rage  when  he  found  in  the  straw 
four  bolts  of  wood! 

So  that  was  all  the  second  brother  got  for  following 
the  silver  tracks. 

Well,  years  went  by  and  the  Poor  Man  worked  day 
after  day  and  all  day  and  often  far  into  the  night.  Some 


THE  SILVER  TRACKS  281 

of  his  children  died  and  the  rest  grew  up  and  went  out 
into  the  world  and  married  and  made  homes  of  their 
own.  Then  at  last  his  good  wife  died  and  the  time  came 
when  the  Poor  Man  was  old  and  all  alone  in  the  world. 

One  night  as  he  sat  on  his  doorstep  thinking  of  his 
wife  and  of  his  children  when  they  were  little  and  of  all 
the  years  he  had  worked  for  them  to  keep  them  fed  and 
clothed,  he  happened  to  remember  the  Beggar  and  the 
promise  he  had  made  to  visit  him  sometime. 

"  And  to  think  of  all  the  years  I've  kept  his  golden 
horse-shoes  and  his  silver  bolts !  Well,  he'll  forgive  me, 
I  know,"  thought  the  Poor  Man,  "  for  he'll  understand 
that  I've  always  been  too  busy  up  to  this  time  ever  to 
follow  the  tracks  of  his  cart.  I  wonder  are  they  still 
there." 

He  went  out  to  the  roadside  and  peered  down  and  how 
it  happened  I  don't  know,  but  to  his  dim  eyes  at  least 
there  were  the  silver  tracks  as  clear  as  ever. 

"  Good!  "  cried  the  Poor  Man.  "  To-morrow  morn- 
ing bright  and  early  I'll  hitch  up  the  donkey  and  visit 
my  old  friend,  the  Beggar!  " 

So  the  next  day  he  took  out  the  silver  bolts  and  the 
golden  horseshoes  from  the  place  where  he  had  kept 
them  hidden  all  these  years  and  he  put  them  in  a  bag. 
Then  he  hitched  his  old  donkey  to  his  old  cart  and 


282  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

started  out  to  follow  the  silver  tracks  to  the  Beggar's 
home. 

Well,  he  saw  just  exactly  the  same  things  that  his 
brothers  had  seen  those  many  years  before :  all  those  ter- 
rible fighting  animals  and  all  those  unfortunate  men. 

"  I'll  have  to  remember  and  ask  the  Beggar  what  ails 
all  these  creatures,"  he  thought  to  himself. 

Like  his  brothers  he  passed  over  the  wooden  bridge 
and  the  stone  bridge  and  the  iron  bridge  and  the  copper 
bridge  and  the  silver  bridge  and  even  the  golden  bridge. 
Beyond  the  golden  bridge  he  came  to  a  Garden  that  was 
surrounded  by  a  high  wall  of  diamonds  and  rubies  and 
sapphires  and  all  kinds  of  precious  stones  that  blazed  as 
brightly  as  the  sun  itself.  The  silver  tracks  turned  in 
at  the  garden  gate  which  was  locked. 

The  poor  man  climbed  down  from  his  cart,  unhitched 
the  donkey,  and  set  him  out  to  graze  on  the  tender  grass 
that  grew  by  the  wayside. 

Then  he  took  the  bag  that  held  the  golden  horse-shoes 
and  the  silver  bolts  and  he  went  to  the  garden  gate.  It 
was  a  very  wonderful  gate  of  beaten  gold  set  with  pre- 
cious stones.  For  a  moment  the  Poor  Man  wondered  if 
he  dare  knock  at  so  rich  a  gate,  then  he  remembered  that 
his  friend  the  Beggar  was  inside  and  he  knew  that  he 
would  be  made  welcome. 


THE  SILVER  TRACKS  283 

It  was  the  Beggar  himself  who  opened  the  gate. 
When  he  saw  the  Poor  Man  he  smiled  and  held  out  his 
hands  and  said: 

"Welcome,  dear  friend!  I  have  been  waiting  for 
you  all  these  years!  Come  in  and  I  will  show  you  my 
Garden." 

So  the  Poor  Man  went  inside.  And  first  of  all  he 
gave  the  Beggar  his  golden  horse-shoes  and  his  silver 
bolts. 

"  Forgive  me,"  he  said,  "  for  keeping  them  so  long, 
but  I've  never  had  time  until  now  to  return  them." 

The  Beggar  smiled. 

"  I  knew,  dear  friend,  that  they  were  safe  with  you 
and  that  you  would  bring  them  some  day." 

Then  the  Beggar  put  his  arm  over  the  Poor  Man's 
shoulder  and  led  him  through  the  Garden  showing  him 
the  wonderful  golden  fruits  and  beautiful  flowers.  They 
sat  them  down  beside  a  fountain  of  crystal  water  and 
while  they  listened  to  the  songs  of  glorious  birds  they 
talked  together  and  the  Poor  Man  asked  about  the 
strange  things  he  had  seen  along  the  road. 

"  All  those  animals,"  the  Beggar  said,  "  were  once 
human  beings  who  instead  of  fearing  God  and  being 
kind  to  their  f  ellowmen  passed  all  their  time  fighting  and 
cheating  and  cursing.  The  two  sows  were  two  sisters- 


284.  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

in-law  who  hated  each  other  bitterly.  The  two  bulls 
and  the  two  rams  were  neighbors  who  fought  for  years 
and  years  over  the  boundary  lines  of  their  farms  and 
now  they  keep  on  fighting  through  eternity.  The  two 
bitches  were  two  sisters  who  fought  until  they  died  over 
the  inheritance  left  them  by  their  father.  The  old  man 
whose  hair  the  oxen  eat  was  a  farmer  who  always  pas- 
tured his  cattle  on  his  neighbors'  fields.  Now  he  has 
his  reward.  The  man  at  whose  eyes  the  ravens  peck 
was  an  ungrateful  son  who  mistreated  his  parents.  The 
man  with  the  awful  thirst  that  can  never  be  quenched 
was  a  drunkard,  and  the  one  at  whose  lips  the  apples 
turn  to  ashes  was  a  glutton." 

So  they  talked  on  together,  the  Poor  Man  and  the 
Beggar,  until  it  was  late  afternoon  and  the  Beggar  said : 

"  And  now,  dear  friend,  you  will  sup  with  me  as  I 
once  supped  with  you." 

"  Thank  you,"  the  Poor  Man  said,  "  I  will.    But  let 
me  first  go  out  and  see  how  my  donkey  is." 

"  Very  well,"  the  Beggar  said,  "  go.    But  be  sure  to 
come  back  for  I  shall  be  waiting  for  you." 

So  the  Poor  Man  went  out  the  garden  gate  and 
looked  for  his  donkey.    But  the  donkey  was  gone. 

"  He    must    have    started    home,"    the    Poor    Man 
thought.    "  I'll  hurry  and  overtake  him." 


THE  SILVER  TRACKS  285 

So  he  started  back  afoot  the  way  he  had  come.  He 
went  on  and  on  but  saw  no  donkey.  He  crossed  the 
golden  bridge  and  the  silver  bridge  and  the  copper 
bridge  and  the  iron  bridge  and  the  stone  bridge  and 
last  of  all  the  wooden  bridge,  but  still  there  was  no  don- 
key. 

"  He  must  have  got  all  the  way  home,"  he  thought. 

When  the  Poor  Man  reached  his  native  village  things 
looked  different.  Houses  that  he  remembered  had  dis- 
appeared and  others  had  taken  their  places.  He  couldn't 
find  his  own  little  house  at  all.  He  asked  the  people 
he  met  and  they  knew  nothing  about  it.  And  they  knew 
nothing  about  him,  either,  not  even  his  name.  And  no- 
body even  knew  about  his  sons.  At  last  he  did  meet 
one  old  man  who  remembered  the  family  name  and 
who  told  him  that  many  years  before  the  last  of  the  sons 
had  gone  to  another  village  to  live. 

"  There's  no  place  here  for  me,"  the  Poor  Man 
thought.  "  I  better  go  back  to  my  friend  the  Beggar 
and  stay  with  him.  No  one  else  wants  me." 

So  once  again  he  followed  the  silver  tracks  all  that 
long  way  over  all  those  bridges  and  when  at  last  he 
reached  the  garden  gate  he  was  very  tired,  for  he  was 
old  and  feeble  now.  It  was  all  he  could  do  to  give  one 
faint  little  knock.  But  the  Beggar  heard  him  and  came 


286  THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 

running  to  let  him  in.  And  when  he  saw  him,  how  tired 
he  was  and  how  feeble,  he  put  his  arm  around  him  and 
helped  him  into  the  Garden  and  he  said: 

"  You  shall  stay  with  me  now  forever  and  we  shall 
be  very  happy  together." 

And  the  Poor  Man  when  he  looked  in  the  Beggar's 
face  to  thank  him  saw  that  he  was  not  a  beggar  at  all 
but  the  Blessed  Christ  Himself.  And  then  he  knew 
that  he  was  in  the  Garden  of  Paradise. 


THE  END 


ONE  MONTH  USE 

PLEASE  RETURN  TO  DESK 
FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

EDUCATION-PSYCHOLOGY 
LIBRARY 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

1-month  loans  may  be  renewed  by  calling  642-4209 
Renewals  and  recharges  may  be  made  4  days  prior 

to  due  date. 

ALL  BOOKS  ARE  SUBJECT  TO  RECALL  7  DAYS 
AFTER  DATE  CHECKED  OUT. 


- 

APR  10  1976 

- 

MAR  1  7  RFP'n  o  D 

>  • 

_ 

™»  ±    f      ML.U  U   "J^    p 

wnv  3^  1979 

w 

M 

._  JUN  2  6  2000 

• 

L 

General  Library 
LD  21A—  30m-5,'75                       University  of  California 
(S5877L)                                               Berkeley 

• 


